Just Friends
by PerfectDreamer
Summary: It is almost Christmas time. A lot of things change in Ranma's world; people,goals,and feelings. Nabiki is changing and keeping a secret,Shampoo is too keeping a secret,even Kasumi seems to be keeping a secret. Appearance can be deceptive. Please R&R.
1. Food Disaster

**Disclaimer: Nope I don't own Ranma ½ or any other characters or references to any TV show or song or artist. I'm just here for fun, and I get no profit out of it.**

**" " -Talking  
****' ' -Thinking  
_Italics are flashbacks  
* -Sounds  
/ / -Other languages_**

* * *

Snow falling from the skies filled the ground with a white sparkling mantle, it looked so beautiful and shiny like if it was a magical powder that could grant you a wish.

The trees didn´t escaped from the white gorgeous mantle that fell, it covered everything with grace; somehow just by looking at that landscape you could feel a happiness deep inside, many smiles have escaped even from the most miserable man by the look of this, by the feeling it provoked. The morning though it was chilly, overall the climate wasn't cold, but the presence of Winter was easily noticed.

The Tendo Residence was also a victim of the white mantle, the pond outside their garden was covered by a thin cape of ice, the windows where also affected by the cool air and it showed since they had some minor ice on them besides they weren't transparent as always; this time they were misted. Inside the heater was on so it wasn't cold at all, the heat coming from the oven baking cookies at the time also helped warming the residence. The delicious smell of recently home-made gingerbread cookies filled the house causing the desire to try the cookies the soonest it was possible.

In another section of the residence was a young girl named Akane, she was decorating a tall, green as an emerald Christmas tree with red ornaments, while a young tall man named Ranma, was opening some boxes with more decorative instruments.

"Akane," Ranma said "I think we should also put some silver ones, it would look better that way."

"Yeah Ranma, you're actually right. Silver and red would look pretty on the tree." Akane said.

"Ok then, I'll put the silver ones and I'll put the lights too." Ranma said.

"Yes, but I want to put the star okay?" Akane asked.

"The star? Aww man, I wanted to do that too..."

"Please?"

"Ok, you'll put it, anyways it is kinda girly." Ranma said.

With that answer Akane took out a big silver and white star from a box after she finished with the red ornaments, the star was perfect for the large tree it was put on.

At that time another young girl known as Akane's older sister named Nabiki arrived to where Akane and Ranma were decorating, but unlike the other two she wasn't decorating or helping with anything; she was standing with her back rested on the wall, she looked at them and spoke in a sarcastic tone.

"Aww, isn't it cute? A couple decorating for Christmas together. I should take pictures of this moment to be remembered forever by your children and grandchildren for generations."

At this Akane and Ranma reacted.

"What are you saying Nabiki! I'm just trying to make the tree look good since you do nothing about it, so it has nothing to do with him!" Akane said facing her older sister which was now with a smirk on her face.

"Yeah, that's true, I mean I am not gonna do all the decorations by myself, if there was anyone else that could help me instead of this macho-chick I would of accepted." Ranma said with a smirk on his face and an open box filled with silver ornaments in his hands.

"Wait, what did you just said!?" Akane asked turning to her fiancee.

"Haha come on Akane I was just kidding. I don't mind doing the decorations with a tomboy, that's ok with me so don't worry." Ranma said trying to not make Akane's temper rise but unfortunately he failed miserably.

"You jerk!!!" Akane said and with that she got a mallet out of nowhere seemingly and slammed Ranma full on the head making his face smash with the box of ornaments on his hands.

"Ahhh stupid look what you did!" Ranma said while he removed the pieces of broken ornaments on his face.

"You deserved it." Akane said in defense.

Nabiki was still there looking at the events that developedjust by saying three simple sentences. She stopped resting on the wall and went her way out of the living room but stopped and spoke again.

"You guys, I was just joking with you, but you make such a great drama out of it, really if you two were put on a TV show, I don't know what will happen. Much less if you had really gotten married. You're both so dense and so easy to tease" With that Nabikistarted walking her way out again directing herself to her bedroom upstairs.

Both Ranma and Akane stared at her, not knowing what to say in defense but anyway said what came first to their mouths.

"I am not dense!"

* * *

Kasumi heard all that interaction from the kitchen where she was preparing dinner for her family, she needed to make big portions of everything since the two guests going-to-be-family-soon, ate a lot; more than what normal people would expect.

'Oh my I can't believe they still are like that. Neither Ranma nor Akane had improved a lot from the first time they met in his real form, will they ever grow up? And Nabiki, she has been acting weird for a time now, what is her problem?' Kasumi thought.

*Ding* the bell of the oven rang another set of cookies were ready. The eldest Tendo sister took them out of the oven wearing gloves in both of her hands so that she wouldn't get burnt like her youngest sister had done hundreds of times. She wanted to give some cookies to who had been really nice to her, and some others to the kids at the hospital, she loved those sweet and lovely kids, they always treated her with respect.

'Nabiki has something going on, she seems to be troubled with something or most likely someone. Sometimes I have to admit it is hard to deal with my little sisters.' Kasumi continued thinking.

* * *

Besides the gate to the pond there were two middle-aged men playing a shogi game.

Genma, Ranma's father, was winning while Soun, Akane's father, was rather bothered that his best friend was winning, even if it was by cheating.

"Genma I thought I was winning just a minute ago before I went to get a glass of water." Soun said

"Well my friend you thought wrong." Said Genma.

"Umm, but I'm sure I was winning you. Did you do something to the board while I was at the kitchen?" Soun asked Genma, looking at him suspiciously.

"Wha- me? You think I would actually cheat? No, no, no Soun you've got it all wrong; cheating on the game if I was loosing horribly and with no possible chance to win would be very dishonorable, I would never do that and much less to my friend."

"Are you sure?" Soun said raising one of his eyebrows.

"I can't believe it, are you actually doubting me? Your friend since long ago."

Genma got up from where he was sitting and started to talk about a lot of things of their friendship and the times in the past they helped each other and about honor. While his friend was doing his emotional speech, Soun wasted no time and moved the some of the pieces on the board so that it was all in his favor. Soun then returned to his seat and looked at Genma like if he was paying attention to what he was saying trying to not look suspicious.

After Genma finished most of his speech with fake tears in his eyes he looked at Soun and to close he said, "That's why my friend I would never cheat on you"

"Yes, Genma how could I have doubted in you, my friend. I will never have any doubt in you nor in your words, and hope you do the same for me." Soun said.

"Of course my friend.I will always trust you" Genma got to his seat and looked at the shogi board, then at Soun. "Did you moved something on the board?"

"No, it is just as we left it. You trust me don't you?"

"Oh well...I guess I don't."

With that both started their game and a after few minutes later Soun won the game after all; since Genma tried to make him look away, distract him so that he could move some pieces in his favor but that didn't worked out.

* * *

Nabiki was at her bedroom laying on her bed looking at some fashion magazine.

There was a slight knock on the door.

"Come in." Said Nabiki expecting to see her younger sister, although she was wrong, it was Kasumi who entered the room. Nabiki was a bit surprised by that but she didn't showed in her expression. "Oh, hi sis' are you done already with cooking?" She said while she returned to look at the pictures and all the articles in the magazine.

Kasumi closed the door slowly behind her and looked at her younger sister.

"Nabiki why do you always bother Akane and Ranma? They were comporting really well with each other today, they hadn't fought all day before you said that to them."

"Wow, yeah four hours without fighting now that's a lot!" Said Nabiki in a sarcastic manner.

"Well Nabiki considering it is Ranma and Akane it is a lot."

"Besides how do you know what I said to them?" Nabiki asked without putting her magazine down but this time looking at her sister.

"I heard it all from the kitchen." Kasumi said without her trademark smile she always wore.

"So that's how...well you don't have to get worried about it, didn't you heard I was just jokin'? Besides I wasn't trying to get them mad or anythin'."

Kasumi sat down on her sister's bed just beside her. Without looking at her she said; "Nabiki, I don't know what's the matter with you, but you don't seem to be the same; you act different now. Your attitude towards our younger sister changed, you don't treat her the same. The same is with Ranma, your attitude towards him changed too..."

Nabiki closed and putted her magazine totally down this time then she looked at her sister beside her. "What are you talking about sis'? I treat Akane the same way as I always have, with Ranma is the same since I've met him. I don't treat them better nor worse." She said not knowing where her oldest sister is going with the conversation.

"Well, I don't think so Nabiki, maybe you can make everyone else think you have the same attitude towards those two but not me, you can't deceive me. Even though I look naive and like I don't know what's going on most of the time, I sure know more than what you all give me credit for." Kasumi said this time looking at Nabiki more serious than before.

This was really weird for Nabiki, of all people she would have never thought Kasumi would look this serious and talk that way to her, saying that she is not like everybody thinks she is; naive and innocent, and actually showing her that she was right.

" Kasumi, so all this time I thought I knew you, I was wrong sis, you actually know how the world works. I can't imagine all the things you have kept in secret."

"Nabiki don't try to change the subject. I know that you have even changed attitude towards Ranma and Akane together." Kasumi looked at how her sister changed her cool expression.

She continued; "I've seen how you changed your acts towards both of them; when you see them together having a good moment, which means when they are not fighting, you do something to make them fight each other. Also when Akane cooks for Ranma you make her mad at him for no reason apparently. Like that time when Akane was trying to make a dessert for Ranma, you went and told her that Ranma said it would be disastrous and that the dessert would come alive and instead of him eating it, It would eat him since it would take a living form of a monster and that he would have to save Akane from that and defeat the monster she created.

That and some other times I can remember. You seem like if you want to ruin the relationship between them, you know that it is delicate since there can't be a day without them fighting, and knowing how they are you know what happens, you actually know that perfectly."

Nabiki stared at her older sister speechless, she didn't knew what to say or how to act, she was defenseless this time. Of course she wouldn't let her older sister know that, she wouldn't stay quiet for long, she had to respond.

"I don't do it for that reason, I do it just to uh...it's, it was all an accident. Everything I had supposedly done bad to them its not because I wanted to, it was just an accident, something that happened. Its not like if I want to brake them up, that has nothing to do with it! By the way why would I even want to do that! I have no reason for separating those two."

Kasumi stayed still for awhile looking at Nabiki in the eyes, she knew that her sister was nervous and somehow desperate like if she was hiding something; she suspected that.

"Nabiki", Kasumi said "Don't lie to me, there is no need to. I don't know what your reason, motives or inspiration is for doing what you're doing, but I hope you do it for well and not for wrong. If you think they shouldn't be together for good, if you don't like Ranma for Akane, or if you want Ranma for yourself well do what you have to do, but don't make it for bad motives, also don't do it by them not knowing; make them know what you want; just say what you feel, and be honest about trying to get your goal, and please don't do anything dishonorable. I'll support you sister, you know you can count on me, but just as long as you don't hurt anyone."

With that Kasumi got up from the bed and went her way to the door, she opened it without looking at Nabiki again. Before she was out of the bedroom she said; "Nabiki please think twice of what you are doing, to see if it is really what you want, I don't want you to make a big mistake, and please consider your sister's and Ranma's feelings too." With that she got out and went at the kitchen to call everyone to eat.

Nabiki stared at where her sister was, she didn't blinked until few moments later.

She didn't know what to do now, her older sister had done what really few had done, if anyone else had, she had left her without words. Nabiki changed her position to one of sitting, she stayed sitting there on her bed thinking about what her sister just told her.

* * *

~15 MINUTES BEFORE~

_Akane hadn't talked to Ranma since of what Nabiki told them, that and the fact that she made him smash with the ornaments so he had to clean up his face, of course Akane wouldn't ever admit it was her fault._

_After the incident Akane decided to go to watch some TV since it would make her take her mind off things and make her forget problems, also it was almost time her favorite program was on, she almost never got to watch it since it was at school time, but this time it was different since school was suspended for snowing. A little before her TV program began her oldest sister came from the kitchen and walked to her she asked her what was going on, Akane told her all that happened with a little of her own inventions, within those was that Ranma had insulted her first and said that he would prefer her other fiances or any other person to be with him instead of her decorating, after hearing the story from Akane Kasumi went to the kitchen again without any other word._

_Akane was going to go with Kasumi but then her TV program started so instead she stayed where she was sitting and paid all her attention at the television._

_Kasumi went to the kitchen to wash her hands, then she putted the things in their place and when everything was in order she went to Nabiki´s bedroom._

_Akane was still watching her TV program and paid no attention to anything besides it._

_A few moments after, the program was over so Akane got up stretched and called for Kasumi. ¨Kasumi. Sister, are you here?"_

_When there was no answer she went to the kitchen where she was most of the time._

_She went inside but her sister wasn't there. She went deeper into the kitchen and on the table she saw a deep big plate with a cover on top, Akane went to it._

_"What's this?" She asked herself and lifted the cover. Inside was the food Kasumi had cooked. "It's Kasumi's cooking, it looks so good. Mmmm, maybe I can make it better." Said Akane after tasting it._

_Akane said to no one in special. She got some species from the cabinets and some vegetables from the refrigerator. She put all her materials on the table beside the already cooked food._

_"I'll make my sister proud! This time I will not mess up!" Akane said with a lot of enthusiasm and right after she said that she started making Kasumi's already delicious food 'better'. 10 minutes later she finished with the food she was improving, and putted down at the table. "I'm done!" She said. "I know this will taste great! There is no way I could have messed up. If it was really good before like Kasumi made it, now that I improved it and added more things it'll be better! If it has more ingredients it is better right?" She was talking to herself._

* * *

~PRESENT~

Kasumi came back from upstairs, she was done talking to her sister for now.

She went to the kitchen to get the food she prepared and serve it to her family. She entered the kitchen and saw Akane there standing just in front of her food.

"Akane? What are you doing here sister?" Kasumi asked prepared for the worst.

"Kasumi! I was looking for you. Since I didn't found you here." Said Akane with a smile on her face turning to look at her oldest sister.

"Akane I told you I was going upstairs."

"Really? Well I probably didn't heard you, since I was watching my TV program."

"Ok, but umm sister what are you doing here? Where you here just looking for me?"

Kasumi hoped the answer was yes, that Akane was just there in the kitchen searching for her, that she did nothing to the food nor anything else.

"Well Kasumi yes I first came in just for that purpose but then I saw the delicious food you made and I thought, well you know..." Akane started saying.

'Oh my, please Akane don't tell me that you did something to the food.' Kasumi thought while listening to her youngest sister.

"I helped you improve your food's taste a little!" Akane finally said now smiling more.

Kasumi stared at her sister not in a bad way but in a expressionless way almost like Nabiki would but much less colder.

"So you did something to what I already prepared?"

"Yes! Isn't it great? I mean if you already had it delicious since I tasted it first, but I thought it might need some salt and pepper so I putted some on it, not much then I thought that if I putted more species it might come out even better than before so I seasoned a little bit more! Besides I wanted to help you since you do all the cooking by yourself and I wanted to show our family that I am also a great cook! I just need the right ingredients that's all." Akane said with a lot of inspiration in her voice.

"Oh, okay." Kasumi said, "I am glad you care about me." She said the last part with a small smile, the one she always wore.

"I'll serve it too okay sis'. I want to see the expressions of them when they eat, and to show Ranma that I can be a great cook!" Akane got the plate where Kasumi left the food at, but oddly Akane seemed to have trouble picking up the tray as if it was heavy as a rock, she got herself to carry it with effort and walked to the dinner room.

Kasumi saw from something green spill from the tray somehow the green thing seemed to move, it moved worm like and made rare sounds.

"Oh by the way sis', hope you can help me clean the kitchen, its just that I didn't had time to do it by myself." After saying that Akane got out carrying the tray.

Kasumi hadn't really looked at the kitchen since all her attention was on Akane

And what she did to her food, that seemed to havetaken live. She took a look at the kitchen and it was a total mess. "Oh my! But I just went for 15 minutes." Kasumi said to herself covering her mouth with one hand. "Well, I think I'll start cleaning, starting with you ." Kasumi went to get a broom and started cleaning the slime-like thing named as `food` by Akane. After she took the slime out of the house, she saw at the table what seemed to be the ingredients that Akane used.

"Why is there detergent, rat poison, powder soap, and vinegar here? Oh, my! Did Akane just used this as ingredients!" Kasumi got out of the kitchen as fast as she could and went to where Akane was.

* * *

"Hey why don't you want to eat it? It's really good." Akane asked her father and Genma who denied eating what she had in the tray.

"Akane its not that we don't like what you cook or that we disdain your efforts to cook for us, but is just that we aren't hungry." Said Soun trying not to hurt her daughter's feelings.

"But I thought I just heard you say you were so hungry while you were playing shogi."

"No, no, no Akane you heard really wrong!" Genma said not wanting to eat Akane's so called `food`.

"Oh, well okay, but I'll make sure to leave you two some so when you're hungry you can feel free to get it." Akane told the two older men.

"Yes, okay that's fine, but I don't think I'll be hungry today." Soun said.

"Yeah, and I umm need to lose some weight so I won't eat today neither." Genma said.

Akane looked suspiciously at them but did nothing about it. Later Ranma came in to the dinner room, he was just out of a shower since his hair was still wet. As soon as Ranma came in Akane offered the food to him not really forgetting what had happened earlier, but also trying to show him that she could be a better than his other fiances.

"Hey Ranma, are you hungry? Do you want to eat?" Akane asked him.

"Umm hungry. Now that you say so I am..." Ranma didn't finish what he was saying since he got distracted by Soun and Genma making signs to him behind Akane, trying to tell him not to eat the food if he valued his stomach, though Ranma couldn't really make out what their message was.

"What are ya guys tryin' to tell me?" Ranma asked the men behind Akane.

She looked back and saw them whistling and looking to other ways avoiding her gaze.

"What are you talking about Ranma? Well are going to eat or not?" Akane asked now returning to look at the boy in front of her. Behind Akane the men started again making signs, now this time Ranma got their message.

"Oh, uhh no thanks, I ain't hungry."

"Are you sure. I thought you were just going to say that you were hungry."

"No Akane, really I'm ok." While saying that his stomach growled loudly, he tried to hide it but he couldn't.

"So you aren't hungry huh?" Said Akane getting angry.

"Hahaha, well Akane to tell the truth I don't wanna eat that food."

"But why? There's nothing wrong with it, it's perfectly normal!" Akane said.

"It can't be normal if it was cooked by you." Ranma said.

* * *

"Here's where they start arguing again." Genma said looking at the two teenagers.

"Yes, don't you think we should stop them before they get worse?" Soun asked.

"Yeah right, and get us in middle of a fight? No, if you want to come out with no injuries we should stay away." Said Genma.

"Are you sure that's the best to do? Shouldn't we help them?"

"I don't think so, besides you know they will make up later. I'm already got used to this so nothing is goin' to happen, they'll be fine."

"Umm well, okay, but I'm worried about my daughter."

"You shouldn't worry she knows really well how to defend herself. The one that I do worry about is Ranma since he has not protection against mallets, nor anything Akane hits him with."

"Shouldn't you help him?"

"No, that way he'll learn. I think Akane's hitting somehow helps him get tougher in battle." Genma said leaving to the room where they always played shogi.

"It does?" Soun asked following behind Genma.

"I don't know, maybe I should ask him one day." Both men left the dinner room with empty stomachs, leaving the two teenagers arguing.

* * *

"What did you said?!" Akane was now angry.

"What you heard. Or what besides being a tomboy you are also deaf?" Ranma asked mockingly.

"Oh yeah so that's what you think! I just prepared food for you and you don't even try it! What's your problem?! You jerk!" Akane said her temper rising.

"My problem is that you are a horrible cook and you want everybody to eat your food but you don't even try it before! Also your temper doesn't help at all." Ranma said also getting mad.

Kasumi got in where Akane and Ranma were.

"Well I'll make you eat this whether you like it or not! And you'll see I'm not a bad cook as you say I am!." Akane got the tray with one hand with surprisingly strength and was ready to throw it on Ranma's face, fortunately before she did that Kasumi spoke.

"No Akane wait! Don't do that!"

Akane stopped her hand with the tray full of food which was less than a centimeter away from Ranma's face. Then she turned to look at where the voice came from.

Ranma first gave an angry stare at Akane then looked at where Kasumi was.

"What is it Kasumi?" Akane asked.

"Akane you can't make Ranma eat that food. You putted by mistake some toxic ingredients to it, if he ate that he could have gotten sick or even worse." Kasumi said looking worried and serious.

Akane lowered the tray and looked at Ranma for a moment then returned to look at her sister. "They were toxic ingredients? But they looked pretty normal to me."

"Well you just messed up with them, it is easy to confuse them if you don't read what it says." Said Kasumi.

"See! What did I told you! You want to make me sick of my stomach more than what you normally do..." Ranma said to Akane.

"Hey I didn't knew those weren't the right ingredients ok."

"Next time Akane please read through everything so that it won't happen again." Said Kasumi.

"Yes sister, I'll be more careful."

"Oh and by the way Akane before you do anything to my food, please ask me for permission first." Kasumi said.

"Yes, sister I will." Akane said with her face down.

"Yeah be more careful, you don't know who you could kill with that type of food."

After saying that Ranma went to watch some TV and rest, he was still hungry but he wouldn't eat anything Akane prepared, so he would wait until Kasumi fixed the problem of the food.

Akane went with Kasumi to help clean the kitchen and the mess she left.

"Akane I think I will have to order some food since I don't have what I need and everybody is hungry. I'll go to the market later." Kasumi already on the phone told Akane.

"Yes sister, that's fine with me." Akane said while throwing the toxic food away.

* * *

Nabiki was still on her bed, though now she was laying on her back with her head on a pillow, her eyes looking at the roof. All she was doing was thinking.

'I don't know what to say, what to think. How couldn't I have noticed? Well it seems there are some things I don't notice myself. But what Kasumi said...she is right in some aspects, I have changed with Akane, but with Ranma? I didn't even notice that, I don't think I treat him any different, besides that I sell more pictures of him not only in his female form but also in his male form...but what does that have to do with it? I haven't really change my attitude towards him neither my feelings toward him have changed. How could they change if there never existed any? Its ridiculous...or did it existed?

'Aghh this is so confusing! I have to get my mind off that topic for now, I'll go down and do something to keep my mind off that and also to get some food since I'm hungry.'

She got up from her bed got out from her bedroom and went downstairs to the kitchen. There she saw Kasumi and Akane cleaning up a mess.

"Wow, what happened? Did we got attacked by terrorists?" Nabiki asked in her usual way.

Akane looked at Nabiki, she hadn't noticed she came into the kitchen. Then Kasumi answered the question Nabiki asked.

"It's because Akane tried to—" she was cut off by Nabiki.

"Wait don't tell me, let me guess she tried to cook something and she screwed up. How strange when you´re talking about Akane, who has done that every time she cooks somethin´." Nabiki said with a bit of cold tone in her voice, it went unnoticed by Akane but Kasumi easily noticed it.

Akane stayed quiet she could not answer back to her sister since she knew it was her fault, although she did not admitted it to everyone. Kasumi was the one that responded to her sister instead.

"Well you are not right, Akane did not cooked, I did. She just felt I needed help so she tried to make the food taste better but she accidentally putted some wrong ingredients in it. It was not all of her fault though, I should have been more careful."

"Careful? In what way could you be more careful with how you cook? Kasumi you are an awesome cook and you take care of everything really well, but you shouldn't take the blame for our sister. It was her fault, she was the one who wasn't careful not you, so don't try to take the responsibility from her; she has to grow up and face the problems by herself." Nabiki said this time a little bit more colder.

Kasumi listened to her and stayed quiet for a few seconds after her younger sister finished. Akane still didn't spoke she just faced down trying not to look at Nabiki who was looking at her coldly.

"Akane I think you should go, you already helped me a lot, I'll speak with Nabiki here for a while." Kasumi said looking at Akane. Akane heard what she said and walked out of the kitchen slowly and silently, she felt Nabiki was taking the incident too seriously.

After Akane got out and was sure she was out of hear reach Kasumi spoke.

"Nabiki I think you went to far this time and I don't think it is just because of the food.

You have something else in your mind you don't want to tell me about, because I don't think you said everything you did just because of this incident."

"What else would it be about. I don't think I went too far with what I told her, all of it its true; you just told me earlier you wanted me to say what I felt, so what is the problem then." Nabiki said folding her arms.

"That is not what I meant. And I know its not what you don't know either. Please sister, Nabiki tell me what is wrong and I'll help you with it. I don't want my two little sisters to be mad at each other, I want peace in the family. I want you to know we can count on each other and help us out." Kasumi said looking at her sister seriously but with great care in her eyes.

Nabiki looked away from Kasumi, unfolded her arms and started walking out of the kitchen giving her back to Kasumi. Before she got completely out she said without looking at her sister.

"I don't know, Kasumi. I don't know what is wrong with me...I discovered that I did change my feelings towards Akane, but I don't know how or why. My feelings towards Ranma I'm not sure if they changed, I still haven't figured that out... and thanks for offering help sister, but I think you can't help me this time." With that Nabiki got out of the kitchen.

Kasumi stayed where she was, looking at where her sister was just a moment ago.

"Nabiki...what happened between us sister?"

After a few moments of thinking about the events that happened, Kasumi saw the clock hanged on a wall. 'Oh my the food delivery will be here in any minute, I shall go get the money ready.' She went to get her purse and got some money out she count it and went downstairs.

There was a knock on the front door, Kasumi opened it with the exact money already in her hand.

"Hi Shampoo, nice to see you around here." Kasumi greeted politely and nicely with the smile that characterizes her, the purple haired Amazon who was putting her bike besides the entrance resting on the wall.

"Nihao Kasumi! I bring too too delicious ramen order, careful they really hot."

Said the Amazon carrying the order.

"Oh thanks Shampoo, please come in, maybe you can join us." Said Kasumi letting her into the residence.

"Thank you Kasumi, I not hungry but Shampoo think can stay some time."

Kasumi and Shampoo got in the residence with no one noticing. Shampoo helped Kasumi getting the table ready for breakfast, though it was late for that already.

"Breakfast is ready!" Kasumi said. This time it was ready and it looked, smelled and also probably tasted delicious, no slimy like poison. Everyone gathered at the dinning table, Soun and Genma were the first ones to arrive, the sight of the Amazon did not bothered them now since they got used to it and she cooked great so they were actually glad to see her and most of all see her food there.

Then Nabiki came out of the restroom and to the table, when she saw Shampoo she wasn't surprised at all either and she actually felt relieved she came though she didn't really knew why.

"Hi Shampoo, how you been?" Asked Nabiki to the surprise of the Amazon.

"Shampoo fine. What wrong with greedy-girl? " Shampoo asked looking at Nabiki with a surprised look.

"Me? There's nothing wrong I just wanted to welcome you politely like my sister here does, that's all." Nabiki answered.

Shampoo was not satisfied with the answer but she figured out it wasn't something to think about deeply.

Nabiki took her seat and served some of the noodles Shampoo delivered, few seconds later she started eating.

Akane came out from her bedroom she went downstairs to eat, still feeling bad for what she did to the kitchen and the food Kasumi prepared not to forget to how her sister Nabiki reacted, that really bothered her since she had never been so mad over something like that. Instead of thinking deeply about it Akane thought she would forget all that happened today and go to eat the delicious food Kasumi always prepared, though she was thinking about how fast Kasumiprepared food again, and she thought she heard her say she would need to go to the market.. well maybe she just ordered something.

Akane finally arrived at the dinner table and wasn't glad at all at what she saw,

The purple haired Amazon was there sitting at her table, with her family, talking to her sister Kasumi and everyone else was enjoying the food which seems to be a delivery of the Cat Cafe. As soon as they looked at each other Akane made a face of disgust obviously not liking the company of the Amazon.

'Great now I have to deal with this Amazon after all that had happened today, and besides everyone eats the food she prepares enjoying it when they can't even try mine! Just because of some little mistakes I made with cooking and no one eats what I prepared, that's not fair! I will not eat this food under any circumstance, even if I'm hungry as hell.'  
Thought Akane while she sat down not taking her eyes off Shampoo who looked at her for a second then looked back to Kasumi who was having a conversation with her.

Ranma came inside the house from outside, he had been practicing some katas and enjoying the fresh air and the now thinner cover of snow beneath him. He went to the dinner room just after taking off some snow from his shirt, he was a little surprised to find Shampoo there too, having a conversation with Kasumi.

"Shampoo, what are you doing here?" He asked.

Shampoo stopped her conversation with Kasumi about some cooking recipes and looked at her fiance soon she was happier than before.

"Nihao Ranma! Shampoo came to visit, and bring too too delicious food. Eat some I serve you a lot so you no hungry anymore."

"Wow, thanks! I am really hungry I haven't eaten in all day, I could eat a horse!" Ranma said while he sat down next to Akane who wasn't eating.

Akane looked at him and said, "Oh so you couldn't eat what I prepared with a lot of effort but you sure are enthusiastic to eat her food aren't you?"

Ranma looked at Akane and said, "I can't believe you're still mad about that. You heard Kasumi if I had ate that I would have no stomach, it was toxic. C'mon just forget about that."

"How can I? You always compare my cooking skills tothose of your other fiancees!" Akane said getting mad at Ranma again.

"What? You are the one that always compares yourself to them and not only in that, but in many other things." Said Ranma trying not to lose his patience and start shouting like Akane.

"That's not true! You just want me to take blame as if it was my fault! You know what you can eat whose ever food you want, I don't have to worry about cooking food for you anymore and I won't ever again!"

"Are ya sayin' you won't prepare food for me anymore?" Ranma asked.

"Yes, that's exactly what I said!" Akane said.

"Yes! That will be fine with me, yay! Finally I don't have to eat toxic waste!" Ranma said excitedly.

"Are you actually happy I will not cook for you anymore?" Akane asked.

"Of course I am!" Said Ranma.

"Oh yeah..well take this!" Akane got her trustworthy mallet and hit him hard on the face. Then she got up and went to her bedroom her steps heavy, obviously mad at what Ranma had said about her food, again.

After all the interaction between Ranma and Akane passed, everyone at the table stared at Ranma but after a few seconds resumed eating. Shampoo came out of the kitchen she heard everything, she served Ranma's enormous hot plate.

"Here Ranma, hope enjoy!" Shampoo said with a cute giggle.

"Thanks Shampoo! It looks delicious!" Said Ranma and started eating with no mercy.

Shampoo sat down next to Ranma and watched him eat.

Nabiki got up from the table and starting walking out of the dinning room.

"I'll go out, I'll be back later." Nabiki said and went outside.

Kasumi looked at her sister walking out, when she couldn't see her anymore she sighed and got up from the table.

"Excuse I have to get up too." Kasumi said while going to the kitchen there she got the cookies she prepared earlier and putted them in a round box. Then she set off to 's office.

"Well Shampoo I have to say this was delicious!" Soun said.

"Yes Shampoo, everything was perfect!" Genma said while getting up of the table.

"Thanks! Shampoo like cooking, specially when is for Ranma." Shampoo said looking at Ranma.

"Well Tendo, want to play another game of shogi?" Asked Genma walking out of the dinner room.

"A rematch Saotome? Well I'll give you the honor but that doesn't mean it will be different from the last two times." Said Soun following Genma.

Ranma finally finished with the big plate Shampoo had served him, he really enjoyed since it was really tasty, he would have to admit that Shampoo's food was one of the best he had ever eaten. Then he looked around and saw that there was no one else at the dinner table besides him and Shampoo who was too close to him.

"Well thanks for that Shampoo, you truly are a great cook." Ranma said with a smile of satisfaction in his face.

"Thanks Airen. Ranma like my food so much could eat it everyday?" Shampoo asked.

"Yeah, I think so, since I have to admit you're one of the best cooks around."

"Yes, well if Ranma want eat this kind of food everyday, Ranma should be with I." Shampoo said wrapping her arms over his right arm and giggling.

"What? No err, Shampoo I do enjoy a lot what ya cook, but that doesn't mean I'll be with ya just for that." Ranma said.

"Yes, of course Airen not be with Shampoo just for that, but I also have other qualities, many other qualities you not know about." Shampoo said looking at Ranma in the eyes.

"Uhh errr, well yeah ya have other qualities too but, I still don't want to get with you, nor with any other girl ok? I have other things to worry." Ranma said while thinking;

'I think she will try something on me, or maybe she putted something in my food, or I don't know but somehow something will go wrong and Akane will hit me and blame me for it.'

"You no want to have girlfriend yet? Ok." Shampoo said while looking at him but not at his eyes.

"What?"

"I said ok, I will not pressure you more with marrying." Shampoo said..

"I don't know why, but I have the feeling someone is spying on us, didn't ya felt it too?" Ranma said looking around the area.

"Nope, not really." Shampoo answered not bothering to look around.

"Oh, well maybe it was just my imagination. Wait a minute..did ya just spoke perfect Japanese?!" Ranma said surprised about how the Amazon spoke.

"Shampoo, learning Japanese more I improving with speaking skills." Shampoo said.

"Oh, well...wait! Did ya also said ya wouldn't pressure me anymore with getting married to you!?" Ranma asked surprised with what the Amazon beside him said.

"Yes, but that not mean I no want to marry you." Said Shampoo now letting go of Ranma's arm.

Ranma was going through a lot of feeling right now, he was happy, surprised, excited, relieved and mostly confused of what he heard.

He sure was glad Shampoo wouldn't pressure him anymore with getting married, but it was so out of character for her. He didn't know what to make out of the whole situation.

'She is not gonna tell me anymore to marry her..so did she dumped me? Well no 'cause she also said she still wants to marry me, there's something wrong here, she has something going on, maybe this is all part of a plan or somethin'. Maybe this is the old-ghoul's plan to make me marry Shampoo.' Ranma thought.

"Ranma?"

"Huh, oh Shampoo, sorry its just that I was thinking."

"That ok, didn't knew Ranma could be a deep thinker too." Shampoo said while giggling.

"Haha how funny. Even though I look dumb I can think also, ok ." Said Ranma.

"Yes, its just that apeearences can be deceptive sometimes." Shampoo said looking away from Ranma.

"Exactly...wait did ya just spoke well again?"

"Shampoo already tell Ranma, Shampoo improving." Shampoo said somehow exalted still not directing her look to Ranma.

Ranma was looking suspiciously at Shampoo but let it go, though he was still thinking that she may have planned something, he lowered his defence a little, after all Shampoo was not being annoying this time.

"So that ok with you Ranma?"

"Huh, what?"

"Didn't you heard what I say?"

"Umm not really, sorry I was thinking again."

"Oh, well I just say that I want be friends right now. Not anything else but friends." Shampoo said..

"Friends?" Ranma asked surprised for the third time by the Amazon.

"Yes, just friends. That ok right?" Shampoo asked.

"Umm yeah, I guess." Ranma said, not knowing any consequence of them two being just friends, it actually was better, now that she wouldn't bother him anymore.

"Ok, that good. Well I have go to great-grandmother's she worry if I no return from delivery." Shampoo said while getting up then stretched and started walking out. To her surprise Ranma followed her to the door.

"Bye Ranma! See later!" She said when she got outside and started leaving.

"Wait Shampoo!" Said Ranma. Shampoo stopped her way to her bicycle and turned around to look at Ranma.

"Why are ya doing this? You're acting completely out of character." Ranma said. "Ya aren't planning somethin are ya?" The last part he said it with a grin marked in his lips.

"Of course not Ranma. I told you already, I just want to be friends with you...right now." Shampoo said again she started walking away, then she got her bike and got up on it, she spoke again "And no worry Ranma, I no planning anything, you be sure of that." With that she pedaled away back to the Cat Cafe.

"Shampoo...she perfectly spoke Japanese again." Ranma said. "Maybe she means it, she just wants to be a friend to me, but I still think there is something weird with her, and with me too...I somehow felt awkward when she said she just wanted to be my friend. Well, I better get in its getting colder out here." Ranma got into the house and went to watch some TV.

* * *

Meanwhile Akane was in her bedroom hungry, mad and somehow worried. She went downstairs when everyone else left, she thought she might eat some food without anyone noticing, but she stopped her way to the dinner table when she heard her enemy talk.

"I said ok, I will not pressure you more with marrying." She came in time to hear Shampoo say that, but still Akane couldn't believe that.

'Whatever like if she would really give up on him.' She thought not wanting to make any sound so that she would be unnoticed by the two martial artists having a conversation.

Akane went walking slowly and as careful as she could manage to a wall next of the dining room, she leaned on it so she could hear perfectly what they were saying.

Though she missed some parts of the conversation she heard.

"Yes, its just that appearances can be deceptive sometimes."

'Okay that's Shampoo, but what does she mean by that?' Akane questioned herself.

While wondering about what Shampoo said for a time she lost other parts of the conversation, but then she putted all her attention again on what they were saying.

"Oh, well I just say that I want be friends right now. Not anything else but friends."

'What? Did Shampoo just said she wanted to be just friends with Ranma!? Ok now that is really suspechious, there's something going on there, she has to be up to something.'

Akane thought not convinced that the Amazon just wanted a friendship with Ranma.

She missed some parts, since they talked in a lower tone then she heard Shampoo say she had to leave.

'Finally that bimbo is leaving.'

Akane thought, she tilted her head a little to the right of the wall and glimpsed to see what was going on and she saw both Ranma and Shampoo going out of the dinning room, it seemed that they were going to the front door.

'That jerk! Why is he walking her to the door? Well maybe she just wants her to leave without trying anything.' Akane thought. She went and followed them without being noticed. There was some talking she didn't heard since she was farther from them this time, but she perfectly heard something that didn't made her happy at all.

"Wait Shampoo!" Akane heard Ranma said after Shampoo was leaving.

'That Ranma, he doesn't want Shampoo to leave or what?!' Akane asked to herself

"Why are ya doing this?"

'Doing what? And why does he somehow sounds kind of disappointed.' Akane thought.

"Of course not Ranma. I told you already, I just want to be friends with you...."

She heard that from Shampoo, it was the last thing she heard her say. Akane was at a loss, she didn't knew exactly what they were talking about, she felt like she was excluded and she hated that.

'Does she really want to be Ranma's friend?' She asked herself.

'No it can't be, that Amazon is crazy for him, well make that for his talent as a martial artist and also the fact that its the Amazon rules...but still maybe she really just wants to be his friend, its weird that she didn't tried to do anything to him while they were alone, or putting any weird magic in his food. She just talked to him, normally and calm.'

Akane thought, she wasn't sure what Shampoo's intentions were, or what they were talking about, and she couldn't ask Ranma about it since he would accuse her of spying on him, which is just what she was doing.

Akane didn't hear anything else of what they were saying, she was too involved in her thoughts. A moment later she saw Ranma was coming back inside so she rapidly went to her bedroom like if she had always been there. Inside her bedroom Akane laid on her bed and thought more deeply on what she heard of the conversation.

'Okay so Shampoo said she will not pressure him to marry, and... wait'

"Did she just talked in perfect Japanese?" Akane said aloud to no one in particular since she was alone in her room. She putted a hand to cover her mouth since she didn't wanted Ranma to notice that she went to listen to their conversation. After few seconds she made sure he hadn't heard anything she started her thoughts again.

'Well besides that Shampoo talked in perfect Japanese that line she also said something about that apeearences can be deceptive, umm what did she meant by that? What or to who did she refer to?..She also said she wanted to be friends nothing else but friends..well that's too hard to believe considering how she acts around Ranma. Then she started to leave and Ranma walked her to the door.' Akane thought the last part with a hint of anger in her face.

'Then after they were outside, he wanted Shampoo to wait and don't leave..' Again Akane got a little more anger this time with that thought.

'He also asked Shampoo why was she doing what she was doing, which I don't know what it was..then Shampoo said no to something Ranma told her and she told him again she just wanted to be friends...well I think I don't have enough information. Maybe she did just wanted to be friends but then why would Ranma be disappointed about that? Ok I am still at a loss here.' She thought.

"But maybe..." She said aloud again then Akane stayed silent and thought.

'Maybe she somehow, dumped him. Yeah maybe that's it, she dumped him since she said she didn't wanted to marry him, she just wanted to be his friend and nothing else..so Shampoo gave up on Ranma! She will not bother us anymore, she won't annoy us, she won't trick us, she doesn't want to marry him!' Akane thought happily.

'So that's it, well then I won't have to worry about her doing any weird magic to me, I can finally be at peace.' Akane thought, then she remembered a memory of some months ago.

'But what if this is a plan of her, like what happened with the reversal jewel, she said she hated Ranma just for him to go after her, and of course the jerk played right into her game. Maybe she is doing the same this time; tricking Ranma saying she is her friend and then when she gains his trust she does some magic trick to make him love her, or be her slave....No I shouldn't let that happen, I won't let my defense down no matter if she says she just wants to be his friend, I have to be alert of any tricks she might pull off.' Akane thought.

Ranma was tired of watching the TV. There was nothing good in it, just channels about history, sports that he didn't liked, old movies, drama shows, programs about animals, XXX movies which he changed the channel faster when he encountered one of those he considered those type of movies gross, old music videos, new talentless music video, and the most annoying to him; a channel that had this show with a girl who was a 'famous singer' which name rhymed with Montana, and at other times she was a normal student at school with problems and non humorous comedy; so there was nothing interesting to watch at TV. He turned off the TV, got up and went to the dojo.

"I better practice a little, I'm so bored I almost want to do my homework." Ranma said while getting in a fighting position, he started with some easy katas, but then he moved up to more advanced ones.

Ranma stopped his training and started thinking to what Shampoo had told him a while earlier. "Why can't I take my mind of that subject?" Ranma said confused.

"Ok I have to think about something else. Maybe I should go outside and go visit Uc-chan or even encounter Ryoga. Anything is better than staying here bored with nothing batter to do than my homework." Ranma said. He got out of the dojo and went outside, it was colder outside since the sun was setting, so he decided to go back to the house to get a jacket.

* * *

**Ok, that's all for today! This will be one of my longer fics, and I hope you liked it. :)**

**Please review and tell me what you think about it, I appreciate all comments, criticism and opinions. If you liked this one then please read the next chapter that will be out soon, maybe in like a month.**

**By the way I corrected some spelling errors, hope this time it would be more readable.**


	2. Who is that man?

**This is my second chapter of this story, this one is a bit larger than the previous. As I got writing I decided to change my idea and take a different course of direction that wasn't as I had planned before. I think it came out better than my previous idea for this chapter, that is up to you to decide. ****Hope you enjoy it! ****:)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Ranma ½, Rumiko Takashi owns it. **

" " –talking

' ' –thoughts

_Italics_ -flashbacks

**Bold** –emphasis

* * -other language (Chinese or English)

* * *

The snow stopped falling from the skies, the snow left on the ground was seen everywhere, there was no place it didn´t covered. The temperature outside was really cold, but that didn´t stopped the residents of Nerima from trying to get the perfect presents for the people they cared about. Almost all the stores were full of persons buying things, others arguing for some products, even there were two persons inside a store actually fighting for an object in special.

The ones fighting were a cute young girl in a pink and white dress with long brown hair and a tall boy with short brown hair holding a bokken in his hands.

"Give me that you peasant! I saw it first!" Said the teenage boy, holding his bokken in an aggressive manner towards the girl who was holding the object he was talking about.

"You saw it first? What the heck are you talkin' about. I saw this first and I got it first too, you just want to take it away from me!" Said the girl holding the object close to her chest in a protective manner.

"Are you assuming me Tatewaki Kuno, Master of Kendo age 17, is a liar! You have no right to say such felony. I know I got that first, it is the perfect present for my pig-tailed girl; who deserves nothing but the best, and I will give it to her." Kuno said.

"Pig-tailed girl?...wait are you talking about Ranma?" The girl asked.

"Don't mention such a name in my presence! He is a vile sorcerer who somehow imprisoned my dear pig-tailed girl under his spell! Not only her but he also manipulates Akane, he is a danger to all woman! And I Tatewaki Kuno 'The Blue Thunder' will stop him from harming another victim and liberate my two loves from his malevolent curse!" Tatewaki said with a very dramatic tone, as if he was acting on a play.

"What are you talking about..." Said the girl with a thick drop of water in the back of her head. (You know like they do in the animes and mangas, is just that I don't know how to describe it. :P)

"The pig-tailed girl you are talkin' about is actually him, he turns into that girl." The brown haired girl said.

"What nonsense are you speaking about?! Oh no, he put you under a spell too! Curse you Saotome, another girl under your evil scheme, well it is my duty as a Master of Kendo, as a protector of the innocent, to extract the dark magic that influenced on you. Even if you are such a low class proletarian; I shall rescue you."

"Low class! Who are you callin' low class, you little-! I'll take you down and show you who the low class really is when you are on the ground eating dirt!" Said the girl in a very masculine way, obviously angry at what Kuno told her.

She put the object of their desires on a table besides the entrance to the gift store they were in, there it would be safe from harm. The she positioned herself in front of the self-proclaimed master of kendo.

"You give me no other choice but to fight you, even if I normally don't fight girls... " He paused at that and took another look to his opponent, then he resumed talking.

"Well you'll have the honor to be beat up by the most handsome kendoist you will ever see. I just hope my stunning beauty doesn't make you to drop you defense." Said Kuno admiring himself and bragging about his so called abilities and looks.

"Girl?! Who are you callin' a girl?! I am a man!" Said in rage the teenager in front of Kuno.

"What? Don't try to make fun of me, I know how to distinguish a boy from a girl!" Said Kuno holding his bokken tighter.

When Kuno said that some of the people watching their confrontation laughed out loud. Some laughed while pointing at Kuno and making comments, most of the public were students of Furinkan who new how Kuno couldn't admit to himself that Ranma and the pig-tailed girl were the same. Kuno looked around the people who were staring at him and laughing, he recognized some of them from the school he attended.

Then angrily he blurted a question to them. "What are you scum laughing at!"

"Hahahahaha! I'm so sorry Kuno haha is just that hahaha! Nothing forget about it." Said Hiroshi, one of Ranma's friend.

"Yeah Kuno hahaha! We aren't laughing with you haha we are laughing at you haha!" Said Daisuke, another of Ranma's friends.

At this Kuno got his temper rising, and his face color was becoming a shade of red. This went unnoticed by everyone there.

"Hey isn't it backwards?" Asked another guy who was with them.

"Backwards? How am I supposed to say it backwards? Wait let me try.. uoy ta gnihgual era ou-" Before Daisuke could finish was interrupted by his friend.

"No man, is; "We aren't laughing at you, we are laughing with you"." The other guy said trying to correct Daisuke.

"What? Laughing with me? Who's laughing with me? " Said Daisuke looking around.

"Oh yeah I see Hiroshi is laughing, but he always laughs whenever I say a joke." He said looking at Hiroshi who was still laughing.

Tatewaki got his temper rising more and his face color was becoming a deeper shade of red. He couldn't believe how students that attended his same high school were so stupid.

"No you dumbass! I meant you are supposed to say: "We aren't laughing at you, we are laughing with you" that's how it goes. You get it now?" Asked his friend getting annoyed by the stupidity Daisuke showed.

"Oh, yeah I get it. But I always meant to say it the other way, since it's the truth." Said Daisuke.

"How dare you scum insult 'The Blue Thunder'! For that you'll be punished!" Kuno said finally letting out his anger.

With that said Kuno flaring with aura, he swung his wooden sword to the left side of Daisuke's rib causing him to lose his breath, then he stroke him on the head and gave another final blow to Daisuke's stomach. Daisuke fell to the concrete unconscious.

"Daisuke!" Shouted Hiroshi, then he looked at Kuno angrily for what he had done to his friend. "I'll make Ranma kick your ass." With that he went to help his friend get up.

The other Furinkan student just took a look at Kuno and said.

"You know, you shouldn't use your kendo techniques against normal students. You're taking advantage and he didn't even had anything to defend himself with. If you are so noble as you say, then why do you attack a defenseless guy?"

"That's none of your business bystander; you know he deserved it, besides I didn't even harmed your weak friend much, he'll get up in no time." Kuno said.

The guy just walked away from Kuno to help his friends. Kuno stared at them helping Daisuke getting up from the floor, then he remembered what he was about to do.

"Okay now you are the next one...where is she?" Kuno said looking around for the girl he was going to fight. He found her a short while ago, she was walking away from the store cashier with the object they were going to fight for.

"Oh no, you will not escape from me!" Kuno said running up to her. "Hey you, I haven't finished with you yet!" Said Kuno holding his bokken at the side of the girl's neck.

The girl turned to her left and moved the wooden sword away with one hand.

"I already paid for it. Now it is legally mine." She said holding a red bag where the object was.

"I'll pay you for it, so just tell me how much you want." Said Kuno slightly lowering his sword.

"I don't want your money. It's not for sale." With that she walked outside the store building.

"You have to sell it to me." Said Kuno who followed her outside. "Or I shall take it by force, but fairly."

"I don't want to."

"Fine then, if that is what you wish, you lady leave me no other option but to fight you for it. In that way we can fairly decide who keeps it, by winning the match; which obviously will be me, and you will be the loser. That is just how it works." Kuno said.

"What did you called me?" Said the girl who didn't paid attention to a lot of what Kuno said.

"Loser? Well since I will win the match you-" Kuno was interrupted by the girl in front of him.

"Not that you idiot! Did you just called me a lady?!" She shouted turning around to see Kuno's face.

"Umm well yes, but.." He was abruptly interrupted by her again.

"Why are you calling me a lady!!! You moron!"

"I didn't know that would hurt your feelings, I sincerely don't consider that an insult..unless...you were a-"

"Yes I am!" The supposedly girl said before the kendoist could finish his sentence, thinking she could predict what Tatewaki was going to say.

"-a Mrs.! So you already have children! Oh how couldn't I have known. Although I have to admit it still somehow amazes me that a girl no older than me has already had se-"

"What the hell are you talking about!? I am not a lady! Much less a Mrs.! I am a guy! Ok, a guy!!!" She, I mean he said interrupting what Kuno was saying again.

"What? Lady err, I mean Mrs. could you explain me what you are talking about, I am afraid I am confused." Said Kuno slightly forgetting about the object he wanted to get to one of his love interests.

"I said I am not a lady, not a Mrs., not a girl at all!!! I am one hundred percent man! Can't that little piece of information get into your brain?!" He said.

"A man? How can that be if you look one hundred percent like a girl. I cannot mistake the difference between a girl and a guy, I'm an expert on that area." Kuno said.

There were some laughs heard form other students of Furinkan that passed by them and heard what Kuno said. Although this went unnoticed by him this time.

"I can't believe how stupid you are! I am a man! I have a **** and I don't have what girl's have down there! Can't you see, this is just a disguise!" The boy said furiously.

"So are you telling me that you dress up like a girl, but you truly are a boy?"

"Yes! Exactly! In fact I'll take my disguise off to show you I'm not lying." He took off his dress quickly and without being noticed he now had on a suit like that of a business man. And there was not any sign that he was a she after all.

"I can't believe it! How dare you falsify you are a girl to get boys attention when you are a genuine guy! Making people think you truly are a girl just to take advantage of them, of their ignorance of your true gender. That is perverted! Disgusting! Immoral! That is just sick! I ought to teach you a lesson not to do that felony anymore. Also I have to take the present I chose for my pig-tailed girl from you! You don't deserve it!" Kuno said.

With that said he charged to the guy dressed as a girl. Kuno missed just by a mere centimeter, courtesy of the cross-dresser moving to the opposite way just in time..

"Hey you are the perverted one here! You are in love with a guy! At least I like girls." Said the cross-dresser.

"Do not insult my pig-tailed girl like that you bastard! She is not a he! She is a genuine beautiful girl!" Kuno said with rage, he couldn't take an insult to his love and much less form a weird cross-dresser. He charged again to the disguised guy, while the one defending himself moved to his right as fast as he could but this time Tatewaki's sword grazed the left side of his neck.

"What the heck man relax! You may not know it but it's true. The pig-tailed girl you talk about really is Ranma. They aren't two different persons they are one in equal!" He said while touching the side of his neck.

Kuno turned around to look at his opponent. Then he said.

"Liar! He imprisoned her with a malicious magic cast!"

"He did not! They are the same, same soul, same mind, the same person! Why is that too hard to understand?" The cross-dresser asked Kuno wondering why couldn't he comprehend.

"Ok, now I see the truth..." Said Kuno more calmly.

"Oh so now you get it. Finally." The cross-dresser said thinking he finally understood his point.

"Now I know what is going on...Ranma Saotome placed a mind altering spell on you and made you fight me to prevent me from giving the perfect present to the pig-tailed girl and make her fall more in love with me! So that is his evil plan, how couldn't I have seen it earlier." Kuno said dramatically.

"Please tell me you are kidding...." The cross-dresser said unbelieving what he was hearing. "I ain't being manipulated by anyone. I just came here to buy a gift for my lovely Ukyo, that's all. So now I need to leave, I don't have time for this." The cross-dresser said walking away from Kuno.

"You say you are not being manipulated, well that is exactly what a manipulated person would say; and for the weak mind you posses it shouldn't be a difficulty to take control over your mind. Saotome the vile sorcerer and you criminal cross-dresser shall both pay and feel the fury of 'The Blue Thunder' of Furinkan high school!" While saying the words blue thunder and raising his bokken to the heavens, this time more dramatically than the others he said a while ago, a background of a thunder appeared out of nowhere making it even more dramatical.

* * *

Meanwhile

When the thunder came from the skies it stroke a light pole, then that fell on top of a new sport car destroying it while also activating the noisy alarm. The pole also obstructed the street and the cars behind the pole couldn't advance further, this caused all the cars to retreat and try a distinct direction to their destination.

Right beside the seemingly expensive car a guy was just going to open the door for his girlfriend. Fortunately they were able to avoid the light pole and were harmless.

"Wh-what happened to m-my daddy's car?! Oh my god I'm so gonna get grounded this time! My daddy is gonna kill me! This isn't fair, first when I was with Sarah, then with Denisse, and also with Clarissa!" The guy said this while sobbing loudly and as dramatically as he could muster. "Why God, why must bad luck follow me!" The teenager said now kneeling down to the ground with his head hung down too, still sobbing loudly; he didn't cared if everyone saw him

"Your dad's car! But you told me this was your car! And who are this Sarah, Denisse, and Clarissa huh?!" The teenage girl asked him in an angry mood that could be slightly compared to the one of Akane.

The guy raised his head to look at his girlfriend while trying to find an explanation, he stammered when the words came out.

"Th-the car was a gift f-from my daddy, he just didn't knew he gave it to me and oh, umm about the g-girls I named they are my umm...cousins. Yeah cousins." The seemingly rich guy said trying to calm his girlfriend.

"Cousins huh? Well then why do you say their names while you sleep? Didn't you told me you were dreaming about your sisters, and that it wasn't a sensual dream or fantasy?! Don't dare to lie to me again! Tell me the truth Richard!" The girl said getting angrier about the dishonesty of her boyfriend.

"I talk when I sleep? And umm, did I told you that? Haha well I uhh..." The rich guy said trying to come up with another excuse and yet another lie. Nothing occurred to him so he said whatever came out to his mouth first.

"I have three sisters and three cousins that are named the same..yeah that's how it is..babe." He said that as an explanation, although he knew there was more probability of a zombie to kidnap his girlfriend than of her believing his lie. Anyway he tried to go along with it and tell her what he supposedly felt for her, in a way to flatter her and calm her down.

" Ya know I wouldn't cheat on you babe. You're my only one. I love ya too much baby." Richard said while hugging his 'babe' from her back, but she abruptly freed herself from his grasp and stepped back from him.

"If you love me so much, as you say so. Do you even know what my name is?" She asked him looking closely at his eyes.

"I uhh, of course I know what your name is babe, haha how could I forget hehe if your name is the most beautiful I've ever heard hehe." Said Richard obviously nervous, and laughing while speaking didn't helped him at all either. Still he was trying to hide his nervousness from her.

She noticed his nervousness and spoke.

"Well tell me then. What is my beautiful name?"

"Why do way want to know, you know it already hehe." He said trying to avoid to answer.

"Just tell me." She said seriously.

"Well, uhh is...uhh Lindsay?" He said more like a question.

"You are such a dumbass." She closed her eyes and shook her head from side to side, then went to him and slapped Richard hard on his left cheek.

"My name is Yuka, you moron." Yuka said bitterly, and then started leaving his side, not looking back. "By the way, we're over." She said in a cold tone of voice still not looking at him.

* * *

Richard stroked his left cheek tenderly, trying to make the pain pass away, while he stared at her leaving form. He looked sad, like if he lost something really important in his life.

"Oh my god I can't believe it!" He started saying. "How did I got into this again! Why does this happen to me all the time?!" He said loudly tears starting to come out of his green eyes.

A lot of people saw what happened between Richard and Yuka; everyone heard him, and they where feeling bad for the poor guy.

* * *

"Poor guy." One of the spectators said.

"Well, you can't say he didn't deserved it." Another said.

"Yes maybe he did, but he really seems to feel bad. Maybe he really regrets what he did." The first one said.

"Yeah, if he really wants her back he should go for her and ask her for forgiveness. After all if he seems to really love her after seeing how he cries after she left him." Another person said.

* * *

"I can't get one of my daddy's car without crashing it, burning it, or destroying it. This must be some kind of curse! How could this happen to me?!" Richard said exaggerating his cries and shouts.

* * *

Everyone listening to him had a thick drop of water in the back of their heads, unbelieving what the teenager in the middle of the street was saying and crying about.

"I knew he wasn't really sad about his girlfriend." One man said.

"I can't believe what he is saying...he really doesn't appreciate people. He cares more for artificial things than feelings." One girl said.

"Well that's exactly how all of the rich, handsome guys are. So don't ever marry one. You can date them, but remember it is just to have a good time not to fall in love or anything like that." A woman in her thirties said giving advice to the girl that had spoken.

"Uhh okay." Said the girl.

* * *

"Well I guess I'll have to tell him some one stole it. He won't doubt me so I will not get in trouble after all." He said stopping his cries and yelps and getting up from the floor. He touched his left cheek again remembering what happened earlier.

"That Yuki slapped me really hard on my perfect face! I can't believe I dated her! She is not even that pretty, she was average! After today I promise myself I will only date girls that are tender, sweet, cheerful, and loving oh and pretty and sexy." The rich teenager said to himself, not knowing everyone around him was hearing.

After shaking off the dirt from his expensive clothing he went walking to the opposite direction Yuka had gone.

Everyone who was there started to leave after the show was over. Some of them shook their head in disapproval while taking a last look at Richard.

At last the local police and the firefighters arrived to where the light pole had fallen.

* * *

"Where did that came from?" The cross-dresser asked looking at the skies which were clear and no clouds around.

"Now you see how mysterious and amazing my power is, I invoked that thunder. I can control them!" Kuno said.

"You can?"

"Yes!... Well maybe not in an expert way, but I will learn how to use them in my attacks someday. Hey don't distract me from what I was going to do! You will not escape from my fury you cross-dresser pervert!" Kuno said while getting ready for his next attack.

"I'm tired of your nicknames! Hey stick I also have a name you know; and that is Tsubasa! And I am not a pervert! I'm tired of bein' called that from many people just because I like to dress like a girl. That is not bad is just a hobby I like." Tsubasa said.

"Whatever Tsubatsu. Prepare to die!!!"

"My name is Tsubasa you moron!" The cross-dresser said, though Kuno didn't paid him the least attention.

The kendoist came running up to Tsubasa as fast as he could and when he was in reach he swing his sword from right to left. The cross-dressed guy tried to dodge them but he just couldn't keep up with the speed of his opponent. Sooner or later he was going to get hit with the sword so he tried a different thing.

Tsubasa ran away from Kuno and climbed a tree, there he disguised himself as green leaves.

"You can run but you cannot hide from me, Tatewaki Kuno, Master of Kendo!" Kuno said vigorously following the path his opponent took. After looking around to where he saw Tsubasa running he couldn't see anything but a small thin tree, just a few meters taller than the kendoist.

'With me it's actually backwards, I may not be a great runner, but I am an expert on hiding and disguising myself.' Tsubasa thought while still in his hiding position on the tree.

"Where are you! Show yourself you coward! Cross-dresser! Pervert! Where are you! Fight like the man you are supposed to be! Or are you really what you dress up like; a worthless girl." Kuno said from bellow the tree, trying to tease Tsubasa to come out from his hiding.

'I can't take this! I should go down and shut him up!' Tsubasa thought trying to fight the urge to go down and beat Kuno up.

Kuno looked up the tree, he thought he saw something move in the leaves.

'Maybe he is hidden up there. Well if he is I shall cut the tree and find out.'

He thought.

"Blue Thunder Attack!" Kuno shouted while releasing fast strikes with his bokken to the thin trunk of the tree where Tsubasa was. He cut the trunk and the tree felt, Tsubasa came falling down from it still in his disguise.

Kuno went to where the boy felt, he pointed his bokken to his throat.

"Give me the gift now." Kuno said as serious as he could handle, he actually seemed dangerous and since Tsubasa didn't knew much in martial arts or in any type of fighting; besides charging his opponent with his costumes, he had nothing else to do.

"But, but this is for my dear Ukyo. I can't go to her with my hands empty, and I have no more money left. I can't give it to you..." Tsubasa said still laying on the ground.

"I'll give you 1000 yen for it, but give it to me. I need it more than you do."

"1000? But this cost me a whole lot more than that!"

"2000 no more. Be thankful that I am even offering you money for it. If I was not as noble as I am I would just take it away from you."

"What, but you are actually stealing it from me! You know I bought it first, why do you want it so much! My dear Ukyo needs it way more! I know she will like it, it's just perfect for her."

"Give it to me or I'll take it away from you! Now!" Kuno said pressing his bokken towards Tsubasa's throat.

Seeing the kendoist was dead serious, he reluctantly gave up and gave him what he wanted.

"Here you go. Please take good care of it and I hope Ranma- I mean your pig-tailed girl likes it since I can't go to Ukyo like this; with nothing special to give her. I just want someone to enjoy it." Tsubasa said with tears in his eyes, almost crying. Secretly hoping the kendoist would feel sorry for him and return him the gift.

Kuno reached down to grab what he was fighting for and retired his wooden sword from Tsubasa's throat. Then he reached into his pocket and kept the gift there.

He started to walk away but suddenly stopped, looked at Tsubasa still on the ground and went walking to him. Tsubasa looked at Kuno, he was almost going to cry all out, but saw that Kuno reached into his pocket and with that his hope of regaining the gift he bought for Ukyo was again reviving.

"Here, I'll give you not 2000 but 2500 yen. Since it's almost Christmas take that as a gift." Kuno said smiling like if he was doing a good deed.

Tsubasa could only stare at him, then at the yen Kuno gave him in disbelief, his hopes crashed down to zero again. The guy didn't had any pity for him after all!

"Ho-how could you do this?" Tsubasa asked weakly.

"Oh don't worry about the 500 extra, consider it as a Christmas gift. I know, you ask yourself how can I be so kindly, but well is just the way I am. Merry Christmas Basatsu!" Kuno said while smiling. Then he stood up and went his way home with the perfect gift for his so called pig-tailed girl. He walked away proud of himself and thinking how good of a person he was.

* * *

Meanwhile Tsubasa thought exactly the opposite of the kendoist.

"2500?! That cost me a year's savings! And my name is Tsubasa! Not Basatsu!" He said in rage towards the actions of the so called 'Blue Thunder'.

He stood up and thought to go and attack him from the rear, but he had no energy left and the low temperature was getting worse. He just sighed and went walking to the opposite direction of Kuno had taken.

'I will not be able to see Ukyo If I don't have a gift for her. And what can I buy her with 2500 mere yens! No, I will not see her this Christmas, maybe new year but not this Christmas.' He thought while walking away depressed and in defeat.

* * *

Nabiki had gone out earlier to recollect some bets from her victims, I mean customers.

Everything had gone calmly for her, well except for what happened earlier and with Kasumi, but outside of that everything was right as she had planned. She got quite a fairly amount of yens in her purse courtesy of everyone who lost their bets.

"¨These guys they can never stop gambling." Nabiki said to herself in a low voice.

She was walking through thousands of stores, having special sales, and 10 to 50 percent off products, 2 products for the price of 1, everything to try to get the attention of the ones doing gift shopping. Nabiki didn't really care for all that stuff though, she had her mind on more important things.

She passed through one of the biggest stores in the city. It had a round yellow happy face as a logo in the entrance. She stopped for a brief time and looked at the enormous building to her left. Few seconds later she resumed her walk.

There was a Santa Claus just beside the entrance to the gigantic building, or most likely a man dressed as a Santa Claus holding a small bell in his right hand was saying.

"Everyone have a Merry Christmas! Please help our community have an especial Christmas this year by donating! Anything you are willing to give is good!"

Some people stopped to left him money in the big red sack he had right beside him.

"Thank you for your donations, have a merry Christmas!" He said politely to the people who donated.

Nabiki didn't stopped her walking when she was just in front of the man dressed as Santa Claus, instead she slowed her pace and stared at him with, she put her hands inside her pockets, looked forward and was going to resume her walking, but the Santa Claus man caused her to stop by speaking at her.

"Hello young lady. Would you be kindly as you are and donate to our organization, anything you want to give is good, as long as you don't feel you are being forced to" The big man said.

"Well, I'm not sure. How do I know the donations will be used for good purposes.

What if is some kind of fraud?" Nabiki asked her expression one of coldness.

"Hmm, yes you're right actually; there are millions of psychos here that are just trying to get money without working, for their own expenses. Without forgetting the ones that want the money to buy illegal stuff. But I can assure you that I'm not one of those, our donations go to help the most needed kids and families; to get them a Christmas where they won't suffer from cold, or hunger, we even make sure they receive a gift. Here is the description of where our organization is located." He gave her a small white card, Nabiki didn't even bothered to read anything on it and kept it in her pocket.

"You can go check if you want to, is a small white building, it has some light decorations, the title of the organization is; "The North Pole"." The man dressed like Santa said.

"Yeah, well I need the money I have, since I don't have much either." Nabiki said leaving no clue that she was lying. "But, maybe I'll go to your organization to check it out, though right now I can't, I'm kind of in a hurry."

"Well, don't worry young lady, the intention matters a lot too. If you go you can leave a gift or food there, we don't ask just for money; anything you can help us with is good.

Have a merry Christmas." He said with a small gentle smile on his face.

Nabiki left the man she was talking to and went her way to the Tendo residence, then she heard again from the man dressed as Santa Claus.

"Nabiki, don't waste your 60,000 yen on anything unnecessary! I know your sister Kasumi would like a new dress! If you need any help with anything just go to where the card says!" The big man dressed in red said.

As soon as Nabiki heard this she turned around to see the man in the Santa suit.

'How did he knew my name? And my sister's name?' She thought while walking up to the man.

"Hey who are you? Are you a stalker or something?" She asked her tone of voice louder than normal and assertive.

The man turned his gaze at her and said.

"What are you talkin' 'bout?"

Nabiki saw his face and it just wasn't the same. Even if he had the same costume, he just didn't looked like the other man who was there earlier. This one was younger, smaller, thinner and with tanned skin, and his face just looked normal not handsome nor ugly, just average.

She remembered the first 'Santa Claus' she saw there was way taller, bigger, whiter, and older. His face was..she couldn't even describe how his face was, but she knew that it was beautiful in a way she couldn't define either; she just knew that it resembled patience, generosity, and kindness, even happiness.

"Oh sorry, I confused you." She finally said. "Umm do you know where can I find the other man dressed as Santa who was here a little earlier?" She asked.

"The other man? Which other man? This is my turn of bein' here, I just went to the restroom quickly I don't think I took more than 5 minutes, but I didn't left anyone else in charge." He said confused by Nabiki's question.

"What? So you mean there was not another guy like you asking for donations a while ago?" She asked quite confused about the answer.

"Yup, there was no one else."

"Oh, well sorry for wasting your time." She said while thinking about the things the other man had told her.

"Your welcome and no ya didn't wasted my time. By the way would ya like to donate?

It's for a good cause, you see we-" He was interrupted by Nabiki.

"Donate? Yeah sure. I know for what it is." She said while taking money out of her pockets. "Here you go."

"Oh thanks! Have a merry Christmas!" The guy said while watching the generous donation Nabiki made.

"Yeah you too." She said while leaving slowly and thinking about the man again.

'How? How did he knew?..Maybe he really is...nah that can't be, he is not real is just an old tale.'

"Ughh my mind is playing games on me, I better stop drinking those energy drinks." She said to herself.

* * *

Ranma was already inside the Tendo residence, Akane was inside too and she went directly to the restroom. He took his jacket off.

He still couldn´t get his mind off of the mysterious man he met at Ucchan´s, he still wondered who he was and why did he looked so familiar, still he couldn't remember him if he happened to really know him.

Ranma went to the living room and sat down in front of the TV, though this time he didn´t turned it on. He looked at the clock that was hung on the wall, it read 8:33 p.m.

He wondered why Kasumi wasn't still home, she always greeted him when he came in, and it seemed that Nabiki wasn't home yet either. With nothing better to do he relaxed and thought back to what just happened earlier.

* * *

_6:15 p.m._

_Akane got out of her room while Ranma was in his bedroom putting on a blue jacket._

_He got out and found her, she looked at him with a frown but then a small smile crossed in her face. Ranma got confused because he thought she was going to be mad at him, which didn't seem to be the case._

"_Hi Ranma. Where are you goin'?" She asked._

"_Uhmm, I'm not sure. I just want to go outside that's all." He said looking at Akane, trying not to make her angry by saying he was going probably to Ucchan's._

"_Well, can I go with you?" She asked, with no hint of being mad or angry._

"_You want to come with me? It's cold outside ya know." Ranma said, surprised by her petition._

"_Yeah that's true, just let me get my sweater." She said going to her bedroom. As soon as she entered she came out with a red sweater. "There, let's go!" She said walking down the stairs._

"_Umm okay." Ranma said following Akane down the stairs._

_Outside the house Ranma and Akane started walking towards wherever Ranma could think of. After a while of them walking silently on the cold snow Akane broke the silence._

"_Hey so, where do you think we're going?" Akane asked looking forward._

"_Umm, okay I think I was goin' to umm..."_

"_To?.." She asked. Then she looked to the way Ranma was guiding her, she saw Ucchan's close by. She knew now where they were going, but unlike other times she wasn't mad with Ranma. She did wanted to go since she hadn't eaten in all day._

"_So we're going with Ukyo huh? Well hope she gives us discount." She said getting cheered up._

"_Wha-what?Ya actually wanna go?" Ranma asked very surprised for what Akane told him._

"_Yes, why not. I haven't eaten in all day, and I'm really hungry. Just tell her to make us a discount." She said looking at Ranma with a small smile on her face._

"_Umm okay, yeah I guess I'll ask her for it." Ranma said still confused for how Akane was acting, she didn't seem angry at all. That was actually a change, he thought how much longer would this last._

_They got inside Ucchan's Ranma entered first. _

"_Yo Ucchan!" He greeted her waving his hand._

"_Oh hi Ranma-honey! I'll be with you in a minute." Ukyo said attending some customers not noticing Akane._

_The restaurant was almost full with people; obviously this had Ukyo busy. There were few spaces where to sit. Ranma and Akane sat down at a table that had just been unoccupied, close to where Ukyo was cooking._

_After Ukyo served the customers she was attending she looked to where Ranma was, that was when she noticed his companion._

"_Akane...I didn't knew you were here." Ukyo said, disappointed that Ranma wasn't alone for her._

"_Yeah I'm hungry so since Ranma was coming here I accompanied him." Akane said. "So would you like to cook us two okonomiyaki?" Akane asked the chef.._

"_Two? You must really be hungry to eat two." Ranma said._

"_Why Ranma-honey don't cha want one?" Ukyo asked. "You know I'll give you a 20 percent discount." Ukyo said smiling to the teenage boy in front of her._

"_Yeah Ranma, don't you want one too?" Asked Akane._

"_Hmm, I don't think so. I'm kinda full since I ate a lot a while ago." Ranma said._

"_Oh yes, I forgot that Shampoo brought food." Akane said her tone of voice with a hint of bitterness._

"_Wait that bimbo fed you? How can you let that happen Ranma? How can you eat what other girl's prepare you?! You have me, you don't need her." Ukyo said with a little of anger in her tone of voice._

"_Oh c'mon Ukyo she didn't fed me up, she just brought the food Kasumi ordered. She was just doing her job that's all." Ranma said._

_Akane looked at Ranma._

'_Why is he defending her?' She though still staring at him her temper rising again._

"_Ok, I'll trust you Ranma-honey. After all that's what good couples do; trust each other." Ukyo said looking at Ranma with her anger him fading, but increasing at the Amazon. "So did you at least checked her food before eating it? You know since she has put magical potions before, you should check it out before trying it, you can't rely on her cooking." Ukyo said worrying about Ranma._

'_More unreliable is Akane's cooking...you should've seen it. Now that is toxic!' Ranma thought but instead of saying that he said._

"_No I didn't checked it before eating it. Everyone started eating first and no one seemed to be affected by anything abnormal. Also it smelled so good and it was delicious. By the way she hadn't put something mysterious inside any of her cooking since a long time ago. So there really wasn't anythin' wrong." Ranma said._

'_He is defending her again! That's not fair, how come he never defends my cooking or me?! This jerk is going to pay-no I should stay calm, besides there is no need to start an argument here...but when we go back he'll hear it from me.' Akane thought silently._

"_Well maybe you're right.." Ukyo said while thinking._

'_Did he just defended her?..Nah I better change the subject.'_

"_Then you don't want to eat huh?" Asked Ukyo._

"_Nope, thanks but I'll pass." Ranma said._

"_And you Akane, you want two or one okonomiyaki?" Ukyo asked._

_Akane was deeply in thought but heard what Ukyo said._

"_Yeah I just want one." Akane said._

"_Ok." Said Ukyo, she started cooking the okonomiyaki as soon as Akane answered. It was done a little while later. "There!" Ukyo said._

_Akane started eating the okonomiyaki very fast to the surprise of Ranma and Ukyo who were happening to be watching._

_She finished with it in less than two minutes. She looked up at the teens that were staring at her._

"_What? Do I have something on my face?" Akane asked._

_Both Ranma and Ukyo shook their heads no._

"_Oh well. I guess I want another okonomiyaki." Akane said looking at her empty plate and her appetite still asking for more._

"_Okay Akane." Ukyo said while starting to cook another one, she gave it to Akane as soon as the previous one._

_Akane started to eat again as fast as before._

"_Excuse me miss." Spoke an old man to Ukyo._

_Ukyo turned her gaze from Akane to the old man._

"_Yes, how may I help you?" Ukyo asked politely._

"_Would you please cook two okonomiyaki? I had already asked you like three times but you didn't seemed to notice me." The old man said._

"_Oh I'm sorry sir, I was just distracted, but don't worry I'll cook em' for you in no time!" Said Ukyo again cooking two okonomiyakis_

"_No, don't worry that's ok." Said the old man with a small smile across his face._

_The smile he gave her made Ukyo feel relaxed somehow. It even made the old man appear younger."Here sir! Enjoy them." Ukyo said cheerfully._

"_That was fast. Thanks young lady. I am sure I will definitely enjoy them." Said the old man still with his smile. He went to sit in an unoccupied table behind where Ranma and Akane where sitting._

_Ukyo stared at him silently, without noticing a voice that was speaking to he._

"_Ukyo! Wake up!" Said Akane waving her hand from left to right in front of Ukyo's face._

"_Ukyo are ya there?" Asked Ranma looking closely at his long-time friend._

"_Uhmm, oh what's up? What's going on?" Ukyo finally asked._

"_Man, what was that Ucchan? We were talking to you for like 5 minutes and you didn't spoke until now." Ranma said._

"_Yeah, I told Ranma to throw you a glass of cold water on your face to see if you reacted, but he didn't wanted to." Said Akane._

_Ukyo stared at her, ignoring her comment while making a mental note that she would have to charge her double for what she just ate. Then she turned to look at Ranma and said._

"_Really Ranma? I can't believe it, I just didn't heard you."_

"_Yeah you seemed to be really into that man over there." Akane said looking towards the old man who was currently eating the food. "Maybe you found a new love." Akane said in a teasing tone._

"_Haha how funny Akane." Ukyo said getting angrier at Akane. _

"_Yes I know I'm humorous." Said Akane. The mood between the two girls seemed to be getting tense now. Ranma looked at both of them and knew what was going to happen if he didn't tried to change the course the girl's conversation was directing to._

"_Hey but how come ya didn't listened to us Ucchan?" Asked Ranma._

"_Mmm I ain't sure, but I just got caught up watching that man over there-" Ukyo started saying a low tone of voice but Akane interrupted before she could finish._

"_See I told you, she fell for him." Said Akane mockingly. Ranma turned his face to where Akane was and shook his head slightly. Then he turned his face again to look at Ukyo._

"_As I was saying, when I saw that man I just got this feeling of tranquility and peace. I don't know how but when he smiled I felt my negative feelings washing away..." Ukyo whispered so that only Ranma and Akane could hear._

"_So what you're sayin' is that the man over there made ya feel better?" Ranma asked in a low tone of voice trying not to be heard by the man they were talking about. Ranma also was having a hard time trying to understand what Ukyo was talking about._

"_Exactly, and not only that, but when he spoke to me his voice was smooth and full of kindness...he made me feel like if I had known him for a long time; I just felt that security and trust..." Ukyo whispered confused about her feelings, wondering why she felt like that after talking to a stranger she had never seen before; in fact it was the first time that this man had come to her restaurant, she couldn't remember seeing him before, but somehow she felt she and he knew each other._

"_Really? Well maybe Akane's right..ya fell for him haha." Said Ranma teasingly._

"_Oh shut up! It's not like that. Is just..I don't know how to explain it to you to understand." Ukyo said teased by Akane and Ranma assumptions of her falling for a man who seemed to be way older than she was._

"_Haha don't worry Ucchan I was just kiddin' that's all. Though I have to be honest, I still don't get why did that man made ya feel that way." Ranma said, he put his right hand on his chin, that was his position to think. "I don't find anythin' special 'bout him." He said looking at the man they were talking about. _

"_Maybe he put a magic spell on you Ukyo." Akane said again trying to tease Ukyo again._

_Ukyo didn't stayed quiet this time, and she didn't ignored what Akane had just said, like she did before._

"_You know what Akane I'm getting tired of your little jokes. Don't you see I'm being serious? I don't want to hear another joke from you anymore." She said loudly enough for every customer to hear, fortunately there were not many customers left._

_Ranma turned his head from Ukyo to Akane back and forth. This was what he wanted to prevent; a show were Ukyo and Akane ended up fighting each other and somehow managing to hit Ranma too._

"_Hey girls relax, chill. We don't wanna get attention here." Said Ranma trying to make his two fiancées lower their temper._

"_Yeah Ranma is right...maybe we should go outside." Akane said in a loud voice._

"_Ok sugar, whenever you want." Ukyo said getting hold of her giant spatula._

"_Girls, girls stop it!" Ranma said getting in the way between Akane and Ukyo. "Ukyo you still have customers, you need to keep attending them if they need somethin'. And you Akane c'mon don't do jokes that aren't even funny. I mean at least say something funny, not the lame jokes you bring up." Ranma said._

"_Oh so instead of telling her to stop making fun of me you just tell her to say good joke?" Ukyo asked obviously upset at Ranma. _

"_What, oh geez Ukyo I didn't knew it bothered you, I just thought ya though her jokes were bad; which they are." Ranma said._

"_Oh yeah so my jokes are bad huh? Well I don't see you being a joker!" Akane said. Ranma and Ukyo just stared at her for the bad pun. "What I meant is, Ranma you're not even funny at all. Who are you to criticzise? Everything I do is bad to you isn't it?" Akane said getting upset at Ranma too. Her temper rising once again._

"_I was just bein' honest ok, that's all. It's not my fault ya couldn't make a good joke even if your life depended on it." Ranma said, his temper starting to rise too._

"_Well it's true Akane you just aren't funny." Ukyo said._

"_You say that because I was focusing my jokes towards you!" Akane said this time louder._

"_So you call an insult a joke?!" Ukyo said loosing her patience towards Akane, forgetting slightly that Ranma was there too._

"_If you took it as an insult, that's not my fault!" Akane shouted, also forgetting about Ranma._

_Ranma stared at the two girls who were having an argument, he shook his head again and placed his right hand on his forehead, while closing his eyes._

"_Not again...why can't they just be at peace for one time?..." He said to himself quietly._

_The tension between the two girls was growing, as well as their argument._

_Every customer stared at them, all of them familiar with how Ukyo and Akane treated each other when they disagreed. All of them were already expecting a fight between them, some male customers were glad to actually see them fight since they would be very entertained; they even considered it exciting._

_Before the physical fight between Akane and the chef was going to begin, the old man spoke clear and loud to Ukyo._

"_Miss, would you please tell me how much will I have to pay?" He asked not a bit intimidated by how the girls were comporting._

"_Huh?" Ukyo said breaking her verbal attacks with Akane. She turned he face to see the old man they were talking about earlier. "Oh, yeah. It's gonna be 150 yen sir." Ukyo answered calmly to the old man._

_The old man took the yen out of one of his pockets and handed it to Ukyo._

"_I'm sorry miss, but I'm afraid I still need 50 yens to pay you, is just that I forgot I need the money for a taxi to home. If you could tell me another way to pay, I'll gladly do it.." the old man said smoothly._

"_Umm, I.." Ukyo started saying feeling awkward when the man touched her hand. She looked at the 100 yen he gave her and looked up to him again. "No, that's ok. In fact take this. You need it more." She said giving the money back to him._

"_Are you sure young lady? I will not feel comfortable if you feel pity for me or anything like that. I prefer paying for what I consumed, I'm not the one that takes advantage of the other generosity." The man politely said._

_When the man said that last sentence Ranma groaned remembering his own father, who would take any advantage he could to get free food, even if it involved lying and trading his son._

"_No, don't worry. I don't pity you or anything, is just...well take it as a forwarded Christmas gift." Ukyo said smiling to the man in front of her._

"_Thanks Ukyo. I will never forget your kindness, just you don't forget it either." The man said. He walked out of the door, but before he got out he looked back at Ukyo and said._

"_You shall receive more than what you generously gave me, I will make sure of that." With that said the mysterious man got out to the cold night, disappearing from Ukyo's and everyone else's sight._

"_Wait, how did he knew my name?" Ukyo asked to no one in special. She went out of the building just to see that the man had already left. She came into the building a few moments later after she made sure he wasn't out there._

"_I knew that was not a normal person." Ukyo said._

"_Yup, when you told me how ya felt earlier after seeing him; I think I just felt the same way right now when he spoke to you. Somehow I know I have seen him before somewhere, but I just can't quite tell when or where." Ranma said wondering why that man made them feel strange, in a good way._

"_Me too. At first I didn't believed you Ukyo, but now I do after I felt the same way you described." Akane said. "I don't think we should fight anymore, I'm just not in the mood." She said her temper finally lowering._

"_I even completely forgot we were supposed to be fighting." Ukyo said looking at Akane. "Actually I lost my interest in fighting you." Ukyo said with a small, peaceful smile in her face. _

_Ranma looked at his both fiancées who seemed to be peaceful. He couldn't figure out how did that man stopped them from fighting, since he was sure the man had something to do with it. It took a lot to stop them from arguing, and much more to prevent them to physically fight each other, but somehow that man could with no real effort. Maybe Akane was right and that old man really put them under some type of spell, but then again why would he do that if it wasn't affecting them negatively? _

_Instead of thinking more deeply about it, Ranma simply went up to Ukyo._

"_Hey Ucchan, what would that man had meant when he said he would pay you more?" He asked curiously._

"_Umm.." Ukyo started thinking about an answer, but she couldn't find any. "I'm not sure Ranchan. There is a lot of things I would of like to know about him, but I guess I won't be able to until we see him again." Ukyo said._

"_That is if we ever see him again." Akane said looking at the entrance._

_The three teenagers stayed quite for a moment, all of them wondering who the mysterious man was. Seconds later another customer arrived and asked for food._

_Ukyo quickly went to her cooking area and cooked what she was asked for as fast as she always did satisfying the client._

"_Hey Ucchan we have to go already. You are getting more customers and you'll be very busy, so we don't wanna distract you more." Ranma said while placing his hands inside his pockets._

"_Yes, it's getting late. Well just tell me how money much I owe you." Akane said._

"_Oh yeah, almost forgot. It's gonna be 200 yens." Ukyo answered while cooking another okonomiyaki for customers who recently came in._

"_200? But why if you charged the other man with 150 yens, why do you charge me more? That's not fair." Akane said._

"_Well after you were making fun of me, I made a mental note to remember myself to charge you more...and actually I'm bein' nice since I thought I would charge you at least double the price." Ukyo said while still attending her clients, not looking directly at Akane._

"_That is not fair Ukyo. I even thought you would give us discount." Akane said._

"_Us?That sounds plural to me." Ranma started saying._

"_Wow Ranma you actually know what plural means? Congrats, I'm really impressed." Said Akane sarcastically and faking amazement._

_Ukyo giggled at what Akane had just said. Ranma finally understood that she was making fun of him, and his word knowledge._

"_Hey don't make fun of me! I don't make fun of your cooking do I?...Wait oh yeah I do, but just 'cause you deserve it." Ranma said._

"_I think your grammar skills are much worse than my cooking skills, which by the way are not bad; they just need some little improvement." Akane said._

"_Little improvement? Yeah right, whatever. And my grammar skills are not as bad as your cooking, if that's how you call it, is. Now don't try to find a way out of your little payment problem and pay Ukyo already." Ranma said trying not to get angrier at Akane._

"_I wasn't trying to find a way out, I was just sayi-" Akane was interrupted by Ranma._

" _Akane if you don't want to pay now that's ok, I'll charge you later. That will still be 200 yen ok." Said Ukyo._

"_What, but why 200? I was just kidding, it seems you don't have a sense of humor." Akane said._

"_Oh c'mon Akane just pay her or pay her later. It's just for 50 yens more after all." Ranma said._

'_Well yeah since she makes you a discount..' Akane thought._

"_Ukyo I only brought 150 yens with me." She said._

"_Then don't worry and pay me later."_

"_But you are charging me more than you normally do. Charge me the same you did with the old man that was here."_

"_Nope." Ukyo simply said now with her hands free since she wasn't cooking anything at the time._

"_Why not?" Akane asked not giving up on convincing the chef to reduce her charge._

"_Because I fell for him Akane." Ukyo said trying to hold back her giggling. "Didn't you said earlier that I've felt in love with him?" She asked more as an statement. "Well you were right, I did. That's why I charged him 150 yens and I even gave him free okonomiyaki." Ukyo said failing to hold her giggling longer. _

"_Oh yeah how funny. Ok I get it, I know what you want." Akane said. She sighed and continued. "I'm sorry for making fun of you Ukyo."_

"_Ok, now kneel before me and beg me for forgiveness." Ukyo said mockingly still giggling._

_Ranma looked at his long time friend and started laughing slightly too._

"_What?! Hell no I'm not going to beg you for anything!" Akane said, not knowing it was only a joke._

"_Hahaha! Akane I was joking haha! I knew you wouldn't do that." Said Ukyo still giggling. _

"_See how it feels? That's how you made me feel, it's ok to have fun with other people, but not when they are being serious." Ukyo continued, her giggling stopped making her know that she was being serious now._

"_Okay, okay now I get it. I learned my lesson." Akane said in an annoyed tone of voice._

"_Now will you accept my 150 yen yes or no?" Asked the youngest Tendo girl._

"_Let me think about it....no." Ukyo responded._

"_What?! But wh-"_

"_I was kidding. Yes I'll take your 150 yens." Ukyo said mockingly. " Anything for you to leave me alone." She said after she took the yen Akane handed her._

"_Oh yeah, well I shouldn't had came here in the first place." Akane said getting angry at what the chef was telling her._

"_C'mon it was only another joke. Don't make such a big deal 'bout it." Ranma said with a grin across his face._

"_Yeah Akane, you need to learn to laugh at jokes not be insulted by them." Said Ukyo with a grin across her face too._

"_Hey but you started saying that I shouldn't insult you and all that!" Akane said._

"_Well, I guess I was kidding with that too haha." Ukyo said while starting to laugh._

"_Yeah we just tried to mock you, that's all." Ranma said also starting to laugh._

"_You guys...are so gonna pay for this." Akane said looking at the two teens who just fooled around with her all the time. _

"_Aww c'mon Akane, don't take it seriously. Besides its what is fair, you joked with us earlier so to take revenge we joked with you." Ranma said his laughter fading._

"_Miss would you give me another okonomiyaki please?" Asked one of the customers who just arrived._

_Ukyo had forgotten completely about her business, she was paying all of her attention in getting revenge from the youngest Tendo girl._

"_Yes, yes I'll go right now." Said Ukyo going to the area were she cooked._

"_Well now we're leaving. You' re really busy..I know I said that a while ago but this time is for reals." Ranma said making his way out of the building._

"_Yeah Ranma-honey! Visit me again soon ok!" Ukyo said still busy with other customers who just entered to dinner._

"_Ok Ucchan; see ya!" Ranma said while he waved his left hand to his friend. Then he left the building._

"_See you later Ukyo. Next time we'll resume our fight, you got lucky it was interrupted by an stranger." Akane said while making her way out of the building._

"_Whatever sugar, you know that I'm gonna win next time." Ukyo said while serving the horde of clients asking for more._

_Ranma started walking quickly to the Tendo residence even if Akane still hadn't came out from Ucchan's. He was really cold so he didn't really want to stay out anymore, even if it wasn't a long time ago that he was inside a warm place. _

_Akane came out shortly after Ranma. She saw that he had taken his way home already without waiting for her. She hurried and went running to where he was at._

'_The jerk can't even wait for me.' She thought while making her way to where Ranma was. She catch up to him, gave him a stare and asked him._

"_Why didn't you wait for me?"_

"_I'm cold, and you're really slow. All I wanna do now is go home and relax." Ranma answered. He tried to warm his hands by placing them inside his pockets._

"_You just think of yourself Ranma. You're so selfish." Akane said looking away from him._

_Ranma didn't responded to Akane, he didn't had the mood to; maybe it was because of the coldness of the temperature._

_They finally arrived home, they were both cold and numb from the freezing wind that was blowing furiously. They both entered through the front door, being glad they arrived to a warm place._

* * *

Actual time 8:37 p.m.

Akane got out of the restroom and went directly downstairs, she went to the kitchen and was surprised that her sister wasn't there at this hour. She went to were Ranma was and asked him.

"Hey Ranma have you seen Kasumi?"

"Kasumi? Nope, she said she was going with to give him some cookies or somehtin' like that. Though I'm surprised that she still hasn't arrived. I thought she would be here by now." Ranma said.

"Hmm, don't you think that maybe something happened to her? I mean she is not of the persons that delays." Akane said showing concern for her oldest sister.

"Nah, I don't think so. Maybe she stayed with him to I dunno, talk." Ranma said.

"Oh so you don't worry about Kasumi do you?" Akane asked more as an accusation.

"Hey calm down, I didn't meant it that way. Ok, if in another hour she doesn't arrives we'll go out and look for her kay?" Ranma said.

"Well fine, in another hour. Though I hope that nothing bad happened to her." Akane said still worrying about her sister.

"Also my father and yours are gone." Akane said.

"They are? I didn't knew they were going out. They'll be back soon, don't worry." Ranma said.

"Yeah maybe you're right." Akane said trying to keep her concern in the back of her mind."Hey and what about Nabiki? " Akane asked.

"I think she said she was going to recollect some bets. Doin' her job ya know." Ranma said briefly remembering the times Nabiki made profit out of him.

Akane was going to say something to Ranma but she was interrupted when she saw the front door open.

* * *

The Cat Cafe was full of customers, all of them seeking for some warm, delicious food to satisfy their appetite. There were always more customers than normal this time of the year, since it got really cold outside and the Cat Cafe was a warm relaxing place with delicious food were one could go and take a rest from shopping and enjoy themselves.

"Three orders up Shampoo!" Cologne said while handing the tray with plates to her great-granddaughter.

Shampoo settled the plates in a table were three young male customers sat.

"Here you go! Hope enjoy your meal!" She said cheerful as always.

*"Yes of course we will. Ya know the ramen here is the best I've ever tried. Back in North America I've tried lots of restaurants, but this one in Japan is definitely the best!"* One of them said in English, with a smile on his face.

*"Yes it is Robert, I agree with you. I've never eaten so well back we're we live, it's all just, burgers, fried chicken and you know, but here everything it's all delicious."* Another of the guys said in the same language, looking at Shampoo and smiling.

*"Yup, that's right Fred. I don't know much about Japan yet, but I'm sure this is one of their finest restaurants."* The other one said also smiling towards Shampoo.

*"Oh guys thanks. I have to take other orders, so excuse me."* Said Shampoo speaking in English, which she knew more than Japanese, almost perfectly.

*"Wait! What is your name sweetie?"* Asked the last one to speak.

*"My name is Shampoo."* She answered.

*"Shampoo huh? That's a nice name. My name is Richard, nice to meet you Shampoo."* Richard said while grabbing Shampoo's hand and kissed it tenderly, like the French tend to do.

Shampoo was surprised that the customer did that. Even though there had been a lot of customers who obviously wanted something with her, and were too forward about it, even to the point to almost disrespect her; of course not knowing Shampoo could defend herself extremely well. The always learned that until too late.

But no one had been as respectful to show his emotions as this guy had been.

*"Umm ok, nice to meet you too Richard."* Shampoo said with her hand free from his.

*"Oh by the way I'm Fred, you may have heard that hehe, but well nice to meet you too Shampoo."* He said with a seductive smirk and a wink.

*"Yes nice to meet you. I gotta go now ok."* Shampoo said trying to leave the table and get the other orders Cologne already had for her.

*"Wait, don't forget about me. I'm Robert, I think ya heard that earlier too hehe. Anyways nice to meet ya know what, I like your name, since I use it everyday haha."*

Shampoo just stared at him not finding funny his 'joke'.

*"Nice to meet you Robert."* She said politely.

*"Bobby. You can call me Bobby."* Robert said smirking to Shampoo in a sensual way.

*"Bobby?"* Shampoo asked raising one of her eyebrows.

*"Yep. That's how the pretty gurls call me. But since you aren't pretty.."* Robert started saying.

Shampoo stared at him plainly thinking he was going to call her ugly or insult her looks.

*"I don't know how ya can call me, you know you aren't pretty right... since you're beautiful, the most beautiful girl I've ever seen. You surpass even beautiful, you are...gorgeous."* Robert said while giving his best seductive smile to Shampoo, obviously flirting with her.

*"Thanks..ahh talk to you guys later, I've gotta work."* She said and with that she went to get the orders that were ready.

* * *

*"Man that girl really is hot."* Said Robert who didn't looked away from Shampoo.

*"Yup she sure is man. I'll give her a ten."* Fred said also looking lustfully at Shampoo who at the moment was attending the customers.

*"Nah, she would be like a twelve." Richard said, while eating his warm noodles. "Maybe I'll hit one her."*

*"What? Wait dude I saw her first. Ya know the rule, don't break it."* Robert said turning his face to see his friend.

*"Rule? What rule are you talking 'bout? There are no rules when tryin' to get with a girl. That's how the game is. The only rules apply only after getting with the girl." Richard said "Which are only two rules; one is to never get with the girl one of us has without permission, since it would be like theft. And second and the most important is to never fall in love, that's just stupid."*

*"Oh, well then it doesn't matter if I get with her first right?"* Robert asked.

*"Nope it doesn't matter."* Richard replied.

*"Cool, then I guess I'll hit one her."*

*"You're gonna hit on her too? Haha, come on Robert you're the one who is less experienced in the game." Fred said. "You have just recently turned into a playa. So let the experienced ones, like me, take care of this."*

*"Whateva Fred. I may not have been a player before, but I know how to treat a lady."*

*"Robby, Robby when are ya gonna learn...Ya know what I'll hit on her right now, she seems to be the easy kind. Just watch and learn."* Fred said getting up from the table and going towards Shampoo.

* * *

*"Hey how is work goin'?"* Fred asked Shampoo from behind.

Shampoo turned around to look at him, but she had to look up to see his face, he was taller than what she thought he was.

*"It's going fine, I'm just waiting for more plates to serve the customers."* She said.

*"Oh, so it's a busy day huh?"*

*"Yeah very busy."*

*"So umm do you have somethin' planned later for tonight?" He asked hoping to take her on a date.

*"Not really."* Shampoo said honestly.

*"Oh, that's cool then would you-"*

"Two orders up!" Cologne threw the tray at Shampoo. Fred got out of the way and Shampoo catch the tray easily with her left hand. Then she went to serve the other waiting customers. Fred just watched with amazement what the Amazon just did.

*"Wow, now those are reflexes." He said.

* * *

*"Ha! I knew it he didn't got a date with her. I still have an opportunity."* Said Robert.

*"Hmm, it seems that he got interrupted by that mummy-like thing." Richard said after he finished his noodles. "Anyway I know that even if he does get a date with her, she will prefer me over him whenever I ask her out."*

*"Hey, but didn't you said we weren't supposed to get with the girl of one of us?"*

*"Yeah, and I won't break the rule dude. For that to apply she has to be officially his girlfriend, which won't happen when you have me as competence."* Said Richard.

*"Oh, ok I get it now. So if he just dates her but she isn't his official girlfriend, then another one get with her?"*

*"Yeah, you got it."*

*"Hmm, but wouldn't that be bad? I mean Fred would feel bad if he dated her, and then you or I go and flirt with her too."*

*"Hahaha, Robert you're so funny. That's why you're one of us now that I remember." Richard said. "Fred feeling bad for me dating his little date? Come on. It's not like if Fred's a sentimental guy or anything, in fact he's totally the opposite. His feelings doesn't get hurt since he doesn't have sentimental feelings to any of his dates, he just does it for fun, for pleasure. If he ever gets mad at any other player trying to date his girl, that would be because of his ego, not because he gets hurt haha."*

*"Yeah I forgot he was the strong type of guy."*

*"Yeah, he is like my bodyguard. He deals with anyone who disturbs me or gets in my way."*

*"He gets paid well, doesn't he?"*

*"Paid? Haha no idiot he does it just for doin' it, just 'cause we are great friends."* Richard said.

*"Yeah I know, I was just kidding."* Robert said looking towards where Fred was.

'He is gonna ask her again to date him..I hope she says no.' He thought.

* * *

After Shampoo was done serving the plates she went to sit down on an empty chair right besides were Cologne was cooking.

"Where Mousse at great-grandmother?" She asked Cologne.

"He is outside putting the Christmas decorations. Although seeing how dark outside is, I doubt he can even see what he is doing." Cologne answered still cooking the food for the customers. "You should go outside and tell him to come in after all he can put the decorations tomorrow in daylight. Besides he needs to wash the dirty plates."

"Yes great-grandmother." Shampoo said standing up and going to do what her grandmother told her to.

Seconds later she got inside, a snow covered Mousse behind her. As soon as Fred watched Shampoo came in, he went up to her.

*"Hey Shampoo I was wondering, would you want to-"* He trailed off when he saw the teenage guy behind her.

Mousse looked at Fred closely, thinking he knew what he wanted to ask her. He remained silent though.

*"Who's this guy? Is he your boyfriend or something?"* Fred asked Shampoo not taking his ferocious look off Mousse.

*"What him my boyfriend? Oh, no you're mistaking him, he is just a childhood friend that's all."* Shampoo answered.

*"Oh, ok. Then since you said you didn't had anything to do later tonight, would you like to go out with me?"* Fred asked now looking at Shampoo.

*"On a date...tonight? Well I-"*

"Shampoo five orders up! Hurry up great-granddaughter the customers are hungry!" Cologne said throwing the tray with plates to Shampoo. Shampoo again effortlessly got the tray from the air without throwing anything and went to serve their customers.

*"No matter how much I see her doin' that it still amazes me."* Fred said with admiration at the reflexes the Amazon had.

*"Yes, she has amazing reflexes and balance." Mousse said. "Hey what is your name?"* The blind Amazon asked.

*"Fred, and what's yours?"*

*"Mousse, look I know what Shampoo told you right now; that we are nothing but friends, but that doesn't mean I don't love her." Mousse started. "Someday she will reciprocate my feelings for her, and understand I'm her best choice. So that's why I don't want you to ask her on a date. Is that clear?"* Mousse asked in a cold tone of voice.

*"So you don't want me to date her huh? Well sorry 'bout that man but I will date her and you can't stop me."* Fred said not intimidated one bit by Mousse.

*"Oh really? You don't know who you are messing with; so I'll warn you again, don't mess with Shampoo ok?"* Mousse said with venom in his tone of voice.

*"Whateveh man. I'll not only date her for a night, I'll get with her and you can't prevent that from happenin'. So why don't cha better give up? That sexy is mine, keep that in your mind."* Fred said.

Mousse couldn't stand this guy, he was even worst than Ranma! He tried hard not to make a fight inside the restaurant, but he knew his patience wouldn't last longer.

* * *

*"Do you think she accepted to go out wit him?"* Asked Robert.

*"I don't know dude. Chill, you'll have your time to flirt with her after Fred gets tired of her, he usually does in like 5 days, 2 weeks at the most." Said Richard who was looking around the restaurant for other pretty girls. "Besides if I really wanna go out with her, you won't stand a chance, after all I'm the most attractive of the three not to forget I'm also the most charming. So don't make yourself illusions of bein' with her, that will just bring you down if I decide I want her."*

Robert just lowered his gaze, he sometimes couldn't stand how Richard treated him.

*"But ya haven't decided if you want her...have you?"* Robert asked.

*"Not yet. I'm lookin' around to see if there is anyone prettier than her."*

*"Okay. Hey so what happened to your last girlfriend?"* Robert said changing the conversation.

*"Who, Clarissa?"*

*"No, the other girl you met here in Nerima." Robert said.

*"Oh, yeah Yuki or Yuka..whatever her name was. Well she really wasn't worth it, besides she wasn't that pretty she was average. I broke up with her, she was gettin' on my nerves."* He answered with a lie, though Robert didn't noticed.

*"Why did you broke up with her?"*

*"I told you, she was getting on my nerves. And she slapped me, hard."*

*"She did? Why?"*

*"Because I broke up with her and she couldn't stand it so she went violent and started slapping me. She told me she would stop if I got back with her, but of course I refused. Then I had to calm her down and comfort her, telling her how I felt. Finally she calmed herself down but still continued crying she even kneeled on the floor and begged me to be her boyfriend, but I refused politely and told her that she could get love with another man, but that it wasn't me. She finally stopped crying and I helped her stand up, I even cleaned her tears and told her we could still be friends, but she didn't wanted to; she said it would be more hurtful for her. I never got to see her again."* Richard said as a professional over-paid actor would in a dramatic novel.

Robert didn't knew what exactly happened between Richard and his girlfriend, but he was sure it wasn't what Richard said.

'Even though I know him for a year, it still amazes me what a good actor he is. Damn he should be in one of those reality shows, or those dramatic plays, he would sure raise the rating up.' Robert thought.

* * *

Shampoo came back to sit down and rest a bit before serving any other customer. She had been working like this all day, the only break she had was when she went to the Tendo residence.

She could still remember what exactly happened, and what she said to Ranma. They were now supposed to be just friends, although she still had her doubts about her decision. She did wanted a break after all and she even told him she wouldn't do what friends aren't supposed to do. Shampoo definitely did not wanted to break her promise,

she wanted him to know he could trust her, she needed to know she could keep her promise.

'Ranma, I hope I don't make things worse because of my decision.' Shampoo thought.

Fred went to were Shampoo was after he had to deal with Mousse, they didn't fought since Cologne told him to stop wasting his time and to go wash the dishes Mousse refused but Cologne forced him, so there was no problem there.

Fred still hadn't got an answer from Shampoo, and he was desperate to know if she accepted to date him.

*"Shampoo you still haven't answered my question."* Fred said.

Shampoo got distracted from her thoughts. She had felt Fred walking up to her but she didn't paid attention, until he spoke to her.

*"What question?"* She asked not quite remembering what he was talking about.

*"Ya know, if you want to go out on a date with me?"* Fred asked her again while looking to where Cologne was to make sure she didn't interrupted them again.

*"Ohh, that...well I'm free tonight. In like two more hours we'll close the restaurant. "* Shampoo said.

*"So is that a yes? "* Fred asked.

*"Well, let me think about it. I barely met you today so it's hard for me to go out with a complete stranger."* Shampoo said. She wasn't really worried that she didn't knew him, she was more worried about another completely different thing.

*"We can get to know each other in a date. That's the best, and only way to know each other better."* Fred said looking at her faking a sweet smile on his face.

*"Well if you put it that way..."*

* * *

**Ok that was all for today! I hope you enjoyed reading it, I worked hard on this chapter. Tell me what you think about it. All comments, opinions, critics, and questions are allowed so you can all review, just no insults.**

**I don't know if any of you noticed, but I made a little bashing of how Ranma uses his girl side :P This wasn't meant to hate him or anything, I just thought it would be funny :) In fact I like how he takes advantage.**

**Also I made some OC's as you may have noticed, all of them are based on real people I know but with a distinct names. Also Richard knows both languages Japanese and English.**

**Next chapter will be out next year, maybe in January.****I think I will make the next chapter more romantic, I'm not sure though. Also I think the next chapter will be in a different section of characters, I still am not sure about that either.**


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